You're Still Just a Kid!
by guitar-goddess16
Summary: What if Aang was sixteen instead of twelve? Could that much possibly change? With his older age, war, violence and romances escalate and fourteen year old Katara is stuck in the middle with him. Season One complete and Season Two now underway: Aang struggles to juggle three elements and a jealous love. Kataang. Other couples vary throughout series.
1. 1- The Boy in The Iceberg

**This is my first Avatar fic, so criticism and advice are more than welcome. This is just an idea I got while lying awake one night. So: Aang is 16 here, Katara is 14 and Sokka is 15 and when Toph appears, she will be 12. It will be Kataang and Tokka (and maybe some Sukka). This will start all the way at the beginning. It's just one of those crazy what if stories: What if the comet didn't come until Aang was sixteen (at the air temple a hundred years ago) and Aang was told he was the Avatar at the correct time? Does that change his relationships, future and training? **

It was a quiet day in the South Pole. Then again, when your village only had about twenty people, things were never exciting. Much to Katara's dismay, the most exciting to do in the village was to go fishing with her brother, Sokka.

Sokka was the only teenage boy in the South Pole just as Katara was the only teenage girl. For them, it only meant extra work and high expectations. It was espically hard for Sokka, since he was the only 'man' in the whole village. All the men left to fight in the war against the fire nation a few years ago, and Sokka was too young and inexperienced to follow his fellow men in war. Truthfully, Sokka didn't mind being the only man. He liked the sense of responsibility and authority, even if his sister did do all of the dirty work.

In addition to all of this, Katara was the only waterbender left in the village. Without a master to teach her, she attempted to teach herself, and it was taking years to master the most basic move. Even if she was special in this sense, it was short of great in the eyes of other villagers. It was only a reminder to them of their difficult past.

This is what burden Katara and Sokka as they were out fishing miles from their home. Katara was attempting to catch a fish in a water bubble as Sokka alternating from holding a spear and flexing his barely existing muscles.

"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed moving her hands in a circular motion, "I've got one!" It was true. The fish was caught in a small water bubble and was floating above her head. A genuine smile spread across her face, something that rarely appeared nowadays.

"Shh!" Sokka hushed her loud exclamations, "You're going to scare all the fish away!" he slowly began to raise his spear; he had a fish in sight.

"But, Sokka, I've—" But she was caught short by the blunt end of the spear penetrating the small water bubble containing the fish.

"Ahhh!" he screamed. The water conveniently dropped over him alone. Katara's smile was replaced by restrained giggles. Sokka was drenched and the fish had escaped, both of them.

"I'm sorry…" she put a gloved hand over her mouth and tried to stifle more laughs.

"That's it!" He stood up, rocking the boat dangerously, "I'm tired of your magic water! I get soaked every time you play with it! And it's freaky!"

"It's not magic water, its called waterbending," she huffed as Sokka sat down again. He was beginning to steer the canoe in another attempt to find more fish.

"Whatever it is called costs of fish and my dryness every time you play with it," he complained.

The vast expanse of ice was depressing the conversation even more for Katara. They lived in a waste land in more ways than one. It was physically bare and never changing and spiritually even worse.

While Sokka was busy ranting on about her being a freak, he failed to notice to rapids up ahead. Rapids were hard to navigate and dangerous. Getting stuck in them was life threatening. And unfortunately for them, they were too consumed in their argument until they entered the rapids.

"Sokka!" Katara screamed clutching onto the side of the canoe for support. He ignored her and began to try to steer them out of danger. "Go left!" She ordered. To the left, the rapids were slower and had less obstacles, but to the right, they were faster and had tons of ice on the surface. And what did Sokka do? He went right. "Sokka, I said left!"

"This is _my_ left!" he retorted, still steering like a madman. The clipped an ice block and were tossed around in the small canoe.

"We have the same left!" Katara saw Sokka's face flush, but she didn't know if it was from anger or embarrassment. "Watch out!"

But it was too late. Sokka couldn't fight the strong current and they canoe crashed into a large patch of ice, destroying it completely. Sokka and Katara took refuge on the ice and sat down to catch their breath. "Now we're stranded. I told you to go left!"

"Well maybe you should have guided us to safety with your magic water!" He moved his hands around to mock Katara's waterbending moves and took on a facial expression she could only describe as stupid. "This is what happens when you bring a girl fishing!"

"I'm so tired of you!" She stood up to tower over his sitting body. "You are the most sexist, stupid, moronic person alive!" with every insult she swung her arms in annoyance causing water to fly everywhere behind her, through waterbending.

"Katara…" Sokka whimpered in a small voice. He had his hands over his eyes and was peeking through his fingers. He pointed behind her.

But, no, Katara was on a roll. And if there's one thing no one should do, it's interrupt a girl when she's on a rampage, "No! I'm sick of you and I'm speaking my mind! For now on, you can take care of yourself! You can wash your own clothes, make your own food and clean your own house! I'm tired of taking care of someone who doesn't appreciate me! You moronic fool!" She sent her arms flailing on more time and the iceberg behind her split in half, causing a huge tidal wave.

She was thrown back into the ice, and Sokka pinned her down to stop her from flying off into the water. "Did I do that?" she asked while staring at the ice splitting and water rising.

"Yeah, congratulations, you just brought your freakiness to a whole new level," he stood up and brushed his parka free of all the snow and ice.

Katara stood up and observed the ice. A new iceberg had popped up, but it looked different from any one she had ever seen. It had a roundish shape and was pretty small compared to most ice structures. But what made it odd were the shapes inside. It looked as if some huge creature was stuck in it. And below it, a smaller shadow…

"Sokka something's in there!" she took his club from its sheath and ran up to the chunk of ice.

"Katara," he protested trying to catch up to her running form, "We don't know what is in there! It could be dangerous!" but he was too late. She was already banging away at the ice with his club.

With each swing, she left out a '_humph' _and made a small dent. 'One more swing,' she thought to herself. She moved her arms back as far as they could go, and swung with all the force she could muster. It paid off, because as soon as she made contact with the ice, a blast of cold air hit her face and she was thrown back into Sokka.

Sokka had no idea what was going on. The ice was cracking and compressed air was escaping everywhere and a bright light erupted from the ice. The only thing that crossed his mind was 'enemy'. Whatever was in this ice couldn't be friendly.

Katara scrambled up off Sokka and watched as something appeared on top of the ice. Everything was glowing and she could only make out the outline of a person. So many emotions ran through her at that time, but the only one she could pinpoint was hope; something that had become foreign to her through her life.

The person at the top of the ice stumbled and fell down the curved side of the ice. Katara ran forward and caught the person before they could harm themselves. But this person wasn't very small. It was a boy older than Sokka, and he wasn't light. Still, she caught him and eased him against the ice in a sitting position.

Katara studied the boy. He was very handsome. He was definitely a little older than Sokka. His face was slightly chiseled but still had some boyish qualities. He had a bald head with a blue tattooed arrow coming to a stop on his forehead. He head brown eyebrows and strong cheekbones. His cheeks weren't chubby as those of a boy, but they weren't as fine as a man's. Through her thick parka and his clothes, she could feel strong muscle, but he was still very slim. The only fault he seemed to have was his rather large ears.

The boy moaned and his eyes slowly opened. Katara gasped, he had striking grey eyes. They were beautiful, for lack of a better word. Katara blushed at her current thoughts. She had just laid eyes on him and she was already sizing him up.

"Come closer," he whispered in a hoarse voice. It was deep. Much deeper than Sokka's but she couldn't help but noticed it cracked on the last word.

"Yes?" she said while leaning closer. He grabbed her arm gently and Katara blushed at the contact.

She was very close to his face and his eyes were barely open, "Can we go penguin sledding? And do you have any food? I'm starving! And who are you? And who is he? Where am I?'

Katara jumped back at his loud voice. His eyes were now wide and he had a huge grin plastered to his face. He stood up to join her, "Who are _you?_" Sokka said while poking at his with his spear. The boy raised his eyebrows and brushed away the spear, "Are you with the firenation?"

"I'm Katara, and the paranoid one is my brother, Sokka," Katara explained with a smile. Sokka nodded his head in recognition. The boy gave her a smile and she blushed. He was very handsome and a whole head taller than her. "And this is the South Pole, and no, we don't have any food."

"I'm Aang," He said to Katara with a small bow. Sokka moaned from a distance from the very obvious flirting. "And I'm an airbender."

Neither Katara nor Sokka could hide their shock. They eyes became wide and their mouths slight agape. "No way!" Sokka said skeptically.

"Yup," said Aang with a nod. But their conversation was interrupted by a huge roar. "Appa!" He screamed and jumped over the ice and back into the iceberg.

"He just jumped thirty feet in the air!" Sokka yelled as Katara ran to the other side to observe what was happening inside.

The hole in the ice on this side was much larger and they could peer right into the iceberg. They were met with a ten ton bison. It had tan arrows running down his with fur. They seemed to match Aang's.

"This is Appa, my flying bison," Aang smiled with petting his animal.

Sokka snorted and stepped into the ice, "Yeah and this is Katara, my flying sister." Katara crossed her arms at his sarcastic remark, obviously annoyed. "And we'd love to stay and chat but we need to get back to the village.

Aang shrugged and jumped into saddle, "Well if you need a ride, I'd be happy to help." Katara smiled and walked over to Appa and was helped up by Aang. He grabbed her hands and pulled her into the saddle while Katara blushed.

"I'm not getting on that monster!" Sokka exclaimed while stomping his foot.

"Are you hoping some other monster will give you a ride home?" she asked sitting down in the saddle. Sokka opened his mouth as to respond but closed it again. He scrambled up the side of the bison but didn't look happy about it. Katara couldn't help but notice Aang didn't offer and assistance to him, even after he fell back to the ground. Katara laughed as Sokka groaned into the ice. She had a good feeling about all of this.

Sokka managed to get on this time and sat down next to her with his arms crossed. He was grumbling about airbending, monsters and stupid water magic. She left him to go sit on the other side of the saddle, close to Aang who was sitting on Appa's head.

"Yip, yip!" Aang said taking hold of the reigns. Appa groaned, sounding very much like Sokka, and jumped into the air. Katara's eyes were round with excitement, but resumed their normal shape when they fell into the water. "I guess he's just too tired to fly," Aang told them.

"Sure, that's it," Sokka said groaning from the back of the saddle. Katara shot him a look that said 'shut up' and turned around to talk to Aang.

"So you're an airbender?" Katara asked, "Which air temple are you from?"

Aang turned around to face her, legs crisscrossed, "The Southern Air Temple." He smiled at her again. Katara couldn't tell if he just smiled a lot or if he was just being nice. All she knew was, he had perfect white teeth and a great smile.

"And why do you have arrows?" She asked pointing to the ones on his head and hands.

He nodded as if thinking to himself, "It means I'm a master airbender." A master? That was a very impressive feat to Katara. She longed to be a master waterbender. Katara smiled at the thought.

"I'm a waterbender!" she told Aang proudly. Sokka groaned again, it was very obvious to him that she was attempting to flirt and show off. Only, since she had never been in contact with a teenage boy beside him, she wasn't doing a very good job.

"That's so cool!" Aang bounced up and down. He seemed to be genuinely excited for her. For a guy older than her brother, he was very energetic and full of life. Everything she said amazed him. "How old are you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Fourteen," Katara said shyly, hoping he wasn't too much older and hoping it wouldn't be awkward talking if he was.

"Oh, I'm sixteen," he said nonchalantly. But Katara smiled at this. They were close in age, and she couldn't help but think 'the first guy my age I meet and he's completely handsome and fun.' She also couldn't help but notice he was older than Sokka. Maybe he could teach Sokka a lesson or two and get him to shut up. She smiled even more at the thought. Things, for the first time in years, were looking up.

…

By the time we got back to the village, Gran Gran was worried sick. "Katara, Sokka where have you been and who is this?" Aang had left Appa at the edge of the village since he would take up too much room, and he was standing by us. He stood between Sokka and I.

"It's a long story," Sokka sighed, "And this is Aang. He's an airbender."

Aang bowed to Gran Gran, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Gran raised an uninterested eyebrow at the gesture, "I'm Katara and Sokka's grandmother. Call me Gran Gran."

Aang give her a big, toothy grin and turned to me, "Um…if you don't mind, is there somewhere I could sleep? I'm exhausted." He looked embarrassed to ask for some reason.

I smiled and said, "Sure, you could sleep in Sokka's room if you can ignore the smell." Sokka didn't hear the insult though because he was off telling Gran our story about how we found Aang.

"It'll be fine," He nodded a motioned for me to lead the way. I lead him to our igloo. Most igloos were one roomed here, but since our dad was the chief, we got lucky and had separate rooms. That was our idea of the royal treatment.

I led him to Sokka's room and told him to get comfortable, but before I could finish, he laid down and was asleep in a matter of seconds. I smile at the habit Aang possessed that reminded me of Sokka. Maybe it was a guy thing. Or maybe it was just from being frozen in a block of ice. Either way, I pulled the blanket up over him and left him to sleep.

"Katara," Gran found me walking out the igloo, "You have chores to do." I sighed and went to go wash clothes, but my mind wasn't on my chores. It was on the airbender I just left.

…

Zuko saw the light in the distance. "Uncle, did you see that? The light had to come from an extremely powerful source. Do you know what this means?" Zuko closed his telescope and turned to his uncle.

"That I won't get to finish my tea or my game?" he sighed while concentrating still on his game.

"No Uncle," Zuko snapped, "It means we found the Avatar. Prepare a course to the light! Now!"

….

"Is your boyfriend up yet?" Sokka asked annoyed. He was watching Katara do her chores while he sharpened his boomerang.

"He's not my boyfriend," She said defensively with a contradicting blush.

"Whatever," he ran the sharpening rock over the edge of his boomerang again, "He needs to get up soon because I need to get my stuff from my room. It's almost time for me to go train the kids." She shook her head and stood up. Sokka could be so lazy sometimes.

She found Aang in the same position she left him in, "Aang, wake up," Katara told him while shaking his shoulder softly. His eyes popped open and he stood up. He grabbed his staff, which she didn't notice he had earlier and they walked out of the igloo. "I'm going to introduce you to the village!"

He grinned and followed her. There wasn't much to do around the village, so on their downtime, they stood around the village and talked. It made introducing Aang to them easier now since she didn't have to gather them up.

"Village, this is Aang," Katara announced, "Aang this is the entire village." Aang observed the small crowd of about twenty and waved. They just stared back at the too.

"Do they not like me," he leaned down and asked Katara quietly.

Gran spoke up after hearing Aang, "It's just that no one has seen an airbender in a hundred years." Aang looked shocked. A hundred years? These people must have been really out of touch with the rest of the world. At least that is what he told himself.

"How about that penguin sledding?" he asked Katara after the crowd dissipated. Aang had been dying to try this since he heard about it years ago. And he couldn't pass up the perfect chance to do so.

"Um…sure," Katara said shyly. Was this guy really sixteen and asking to go penguin sledding? But she agreed and led him to a spot where penguins tended to hang around.

"Penguins!" He exclaimed and dove for one. He missed terribly but tried again, laughing the entire time. His smile got bigger with every attempt. Katara laughed as she watched him pretend to be a penguin to try and catch one, but they all ran away from him.

"Here, I'll show you our secret ways of catching a penguin," she threw him a fish and as soon as he caught it, all the penguins rushed to him. He was swallowed in a penguin avalanche but he must have been okay because he was still laughing. Katara pulled out her own fish and caught a penguin as Aang mounted onto his. And so they were off.

Katara was laughing along with Aang the whole time. She hadn't done this since she was a kid, and she told that to Aang as well. He only response was that she was still a kid. And she couldn't help but smile at the monk as he used airbending to go faster through the tunnel they had just entered. The colors were beautiful in here. The cracks in the ice let in sunlight and refracted every color of the rainbow giving the tunnel a serene look.

This didn't last for long. The penguins soon got agitated and dropped them off after the tunnel. Aang was clasping his side from so much laughter and Katara had her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath and shake off the sense of vertigo from spinning so much.

"That was so much fun," He laughed straightening up, "Thanks for going with….wow, what's that?" he noticed the fire nation ship. It was stuck in ice, lopsided and menacing.

"A fire navy ship," Katara said somberly, "They attacked years ago and it has stayed here as a reminder to our people," she told him, "And we aren't allowed in it."

He turned towards her, obviously confused. "Why not?"

He had a look of innocence in his big grey eyes. He looked down at her awaiting an answer, "It could be booby trapped."

He snorted and walked towards the ship, entering through a hole in the hull of the ship, "What's life without a little adventure?" and so she followed him into the ship for the first time in her life.

….

We ended up in a room full of weapons. Aang picked up a spear and was examining it, "I don't understand."

"What?" she asked coming out of her trance. He turned towards her dropping the spear.

"Why did the fire nation attack your village?" he was facing Katara, a foot away. His eyebrows were scrunched together, "And why has no one seen an airbender for a hundred years?"

She stared at him in awe, "The firenation has been at war with the world for a hundred years, Aang. How long were you in the iceberg?"

He shuffled his feet nervously, sweeping around some snow that littered the ground of the ship, "A few days maybe…"

"I think it was a hundred years," shesaid amazed by her own accusations, "That would explain why you didn't know about the war!"

He turned away from her and began walking to the next room. "It can't be…" but he was stopped short and he tripped over a wire. They heard a flare go off from above them, "What did you say about booby traps?"

They ran through the ship. They ended up in the control room and there was a hole in the roof, "Hold on." He grabbed her and picked her up bridal style and jumped through the hole. She began to blush madly despite the circumstances. She thought she might as well enjoy the rest of her life since it'll probably be ending in a few minutes when her Gran sees them. He leaped down the length of the ship and put her down when they reached the ground. They ran back for the village preparing to be lectured for the longest time….

…

Zuko stared in awe as the flare went up from the old fire navy ship. What idiot would do that? He peered through his telescope and saw someone leap from the roof to the ground in a way impossible for anyone but an airbender. He had found the avatar! Three long years and he finally found him! He followed the avatar and his friend through the telescope they were running back to the village know as the South Pole.

"Head a course to the South Pole, I found the Avatar and his hiding spot!" he demanded.

…

The entire village was waiting at the entrance of the town, waiting for the two to get back. They already knew what they had done. And they were about to get in some serious trouble. Katara shuddered as Sokka stepped up, "Why did you go in that ship! I knew he was no good!"

Katara stepped in front of Aang, "It wasn't his fault!" Katara had a stare down with Sokka. Blue eyes met blue and Katara remained unmoving.

"Yeah there was this booby trap….and we boobied right into it," Aang admit to Sokka. He hung his head down in shame. Katara still stood her ground in front of Aang.

"Then I banish the traitor!" Sokka exclaimed pointing his boomerang at Aang. Appa stood behind us, attracted to the argument his master was partaking in.

"No, you can't!" Katara cried out. Aang was her only hope. He could bring her to the North Pole and help her learn waterbending. She also happened to take a liking to him, "If he leaves, I'm going with him!" Katara turned around expecting Aang to say something, but was met by the sight of him walking back to Appa.

"You would choose him over your family?" Sokka asked angrily. But Katara ignored him and walked over to Aang.

"I'm not coming between you and your family, Katara," Aang said sadly. Honestly, he would love for her to join him in his travels, but not at her own expense. He couldn't ask that of her, even if he did like her a little too much.

"Where will you go?" Katara asked in a small voice. She studied his facial features. His normal smile was no longer there, replaced by a somber look.

"To the air temples," He told her, "to look for my people." The thought depressed them both. Aang couldn't handle that, and they both knew it.

"Then why can't I come with you?" she asked, hurt by his rejection. She dug her boots into the snow, to avoid his gaze. The snow didn't have a deep stare like Aang.

"Because they're your family," he finally said. Katara couldn't stand it anymore. She pulled him into a hug, throwing her arms around his waist and letting her head rest on his shoulder, "You belong with them."

He let her go and jumped onto Appa and he walked off. He couldn't look back. It would hurt too much. Katara couldn't stop staring at him. It killed her to watch her new best friend walk away on his bison.

"Are you happy?" she asked Sokka, "You just drove away my best friend."

…..

It didn't take Zuko long to arrive at the South Pole village. He pushed through the ice barrier and walked down the ramp. The village people we standing outside, grouped together and one lone, scrawny soldier stood ahead of them, club in hand.

Zuko laughed at the sight. He had seen many villages on his hunt for the avatar, but never one so pathetic. The boy in face paint charged at him and Zuko kicked him off the side of the ramp, landing him face first in the snow.

He marched up to the villagers, "Where is he?" they remained motionless and quiet, "Where is the Avatar?" he paced in front of them, stopping in front of their eldest villager, "Master of all four elements? This old?" he pulled the old woman to him to show the villagers. Their eyes were wide with fear, but they still remained quiet. He shoved the old lady back into place.

"AAAHHHHH!" the kid in the face paint charge again front behind him. Zuko ducked and sent him flying over him. The boy threw his boomerang and Zuko dodged it with ease. He was really becoming annoyed.

"Show no fear!" some little kid shouted throwing the soldier and spear. He charged again but Zuko broke the spear and knocked the warrior in the head with it, sending him to the ground once again.

"ugh!" Zuko moaned as the boomerang came back and hit his helmet. He straightened up and fixed his helmet, "Where is the Avatar?"

"Looking for me?" Aang came up behind the fire nation soldiers. Sokka looked up at Aang with an apology written all over his face. How pathetic.

"You're the Avatar?" Zuko asked in surprise, "You're just a kid." He examined Aang. He couldn't have been much younger than him. It wasn't possible!

"Yes, but I'm sixteen! I'm not a kid," Aang said proudly. "And you can take me prisoner if you leave this village, now."

Katara was looking at Aang in awe. He was the avatar and he never told her? She couldn't believe it. And he was willing giving himself up without a fight. She could only hope he had some amazing plan up his sleeve that she didn't know about.

Zuko nodded, "You're still just a kid," he mumbled under his breath. The other soldiers bound Aang's wrist and led him to the ship. Aang glanced back at Katara with a forced smile. She watched as the platform began to rise up to the ship. Before she could go out of view, Aang gave her a wink to say, 'I've got this."

…..

Katara and Sokka were preparing to go save Aang. Sokka may have been wrong about him at first, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from helping Aang. He had a small boat ready for their departure as Katara and Gran walked up with none other than Appa. They just loved making things harder on him.

"Your destinies are now all intertwined," Gran began, "And now you must go save him, my waterbender. Sokka be nice to your sister!" Sokka moaned and climbed onto Appa. He sat in his usual spot in the back, clearly unhappy. "And Katara," she didn't finish but gave Katara a knowing look that made her blush.

"Yip, yip, Appa." Katara grabbed the reigns.

"He isn't going to fly!" exclaimed Sokka. But the universe loved to prove him wrong. Appa groaned and ascended into the air. "He's flying!" Sokka looked over the edge of the saddle. Katara looked back with a smile. Sokka just rolled his eyes and sat back. He just let her win this one.

…..

Aang looked at his bound wrists and at the two guards. He could take these guys. If not, well then he shouldn't be the Avatar. Aang took a deep breath and let it out violently, throwing one of the guards into the wall, and the other one, he crashed into. They were both out cold and Aang used a guard's helmet to saw at the ropes.

Once that was accomplished, he began the search for his staff. Zuko said something about it being in his quarters and Aang had no clue where that was. He searched every room and finally found it. He ran in and grabbed it as Zuko closed the door. Aang studied Zuko. He said a burn scar over his left eye and had a ponytail but no other hair except on eyebrow. He didn't look too friendly.

"You're not going anywhere," Zuko said threw his teeth. Aang grinned. This guy had nothing on him. Aang trained constantly as an airbending master. This guy, Zuko, looked nothing more than a student.

Aang used his staff to airbend Zuko dead into a wall; he was out cold too like the rest of the guards. But Aang didn't wait around. Zuko seemed to be the type who got up quick.

Aang sprinted for the deck and had his glider ready to go. Just a few more feet…. He jumped and was off, but his course was disrupted by Zuko grabbing his leg, sending them both onto the deck. Aang heard a groan and saw Appa off in the distance. Some guards were making their way to the deck. Aang was cornered.

Zuko fired and Aang jumped out of the way. There was fire coming from every direction. The fought to deflect all the blast but didn't realize how close he was to the edge. Zuko grinned and sent the biggest flame yet, sending the boy down to the freezing water.

Aang hit the water with so much momentum that it made his vision blurry. His eyes were closing and he didn't feel right. Katara and Sokka were so close with Appa too… They came after him and he failed to get free.

Katara watched as Aang fell in the water. They were still too far away to help. Aang must've gotten free pretty fast for them to have no time to catch up. But despite his success in breaking free, he wasn't rising from the water. Katara could feel the seconds dragging on and she waited to see his bald head break the surface.

Instead, she saw something that gave her the biggest scare of her life. Aang exploded out of the water on a funnel of water with glowing tattoos and eyes. He directed large amounts of water to the ship and sent many men flying over the edge. Zuko held his ground shouting for his uncle to do something. He didn't know how to compete with the Avatar State.

He froze more men to the deck and focused in on Zuko. He readied the biggest water whip he had ever seen and threw it towards Zuko who flew overboard. Katara watched in amazement and heard Sokka gasp from the back, "Now that's waterbending."

Aang was still in the Avatar State but Katara could see the glow starting to fade. They were almost close enough to grab in. She jumped in the saddle ready to grab him. He was still above them but was now falling, glow completely gone. Katara brought him down into the saddle as gently as possible. "My staff is on the deck," He moaned. He looked drained as Appa maneuvered down to the ship.

Sokka, seeing as Katara was busying herself over Aang jumped off Appa to retrieve the staff. He even saw Zuko pulling himself up to the deck. He laughed and walked over, staff in hand, "This is from the Water Tribe!" he struck him in the head and sent him back into the water.

He ran back to Appa screaming 'yip yip' over and over again. He didn't want to stick around for Zuko to get his revenge for that one.

Aang sat up as they started flying, "Appa, go to the Southern Air Temple." And with that he laid back down. He was exhausted. The last thing he saw before sleep overtook him was Zuko's ship crashing into a glacier. Serves him right.

**So maybe it wasn't very interesting, but it'll get better. I promise. So see that little blue button that says review? Press that and tell me what y'all thought. I'm open to all ideas and criticisms. Hope y'all enjoyed it! Most chapters won't be this long because this episode was an hour long and most of the others are only thirty minutes.**


	2. The Southern Air Temple

**Wow! I didn't expect that many reviews! Thank y'all for that! I honestly didn't think this would turn out that good. So on with the next chapter! This chapter will be in Aang's point of view and some of Zuko's. Enjoy! (This will be the last update for about a week. My parents are dragging me out of state on a vacation and unless I can sneak away at night, there won't be any updates but I shall try!)**

**Aang:**

I groaned and opened my eyes slowly. My head was pounding and every part of me felt sore and there was this horrible sound coming from behind me. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. The weird noise was Sokka's snoring. He was sprawled out at the back of the saddle, mouth agape and snoring louder than Appa. I grimaced wondering if that's where my headache came from.

I looked around for Katara and found her on Appa's head. I have to admit, she was already very pretty, but with the sunset as a background, she was beautiful. I'll also admit that I had a crush on Katara already. I didn't have the opportunity to meet any girls my age at the air temples so this was a whole new experience for me.

I worked up my courage and jumped down next to her effortlessly. She must've been waiting for me because she didn't seem shocked when I appeared. "That was a quick nap."

"I wasn't really tired," I said nervously. We sat in an uncomfortable silence. I kept twitching and fidgeting. Airbender's were already restless people and being next to the girl I liked didn't help anything.

"Why didn't you tell me you were the Avatar?" She asked finally. Her voice channeled her hurt to me and I couldn't help but feel even worse than before. I really need to think things through more often.

I thought about my answer as I studied the sunset. Sunsets were more beautiful in the Southern Air Temple but this was a close second. The sky behind us was turning purple and in front of us, orange, yellow, and pink mixed together making an amazing sight. "I never wanted to be the Avatar," I admitted hanging my head, "After they told me, I met with some elders from the four nations and visited a sanctuary. It was torture. My friends left me, I did nothing but train, and they were ready to take me away from my guardian, Monk Gyatso. I ran away." I felt horrible and I didn't have a clue as to why I was telling her all this. It was my burden to carry and I didn't want to make it anyone else's. There was just something about her that made me feel like opening up though.

She just listened and stared ahead. She nodded her head and turned her head towards me, encouraging me to make eye contact with her. She put her hand on top of mine and gave me a small smile, "You're here now and that's what is important. Are you ready to be the Avatar?"

I lifted my head up from its shameful position to look her in the eyes. They were bluer than the ocean we were flying over right now and I couldn't believe how captivating they were, "I don't have much of a choice do I?" I gave her a grin so that she knew I was only joking. She gave me a smile back. I felt pretty awkward at the moment.

She gave my hand a small squeeze, "You're going to be a great Avatar, Aang." Things got even more awkward for me when I realized her hand was still on mine. I'm not an expert on girls and this was making it harder for me, "Well, supposedly, you're supposed to master air, water, earth then fire, right?"

I nodded, still not moving my hand from hers, "That's what I was told. I figured we could go to the North Pole to find us both a master then work from there." Her face lit up when I said 'us' and I knew I made the right decision on my choice of words. I was really glad it was her that found me in that iceberg.

We had to land for the night because Appa was getting tired from all the flying. Sokka was pretty upset that we decided to land after he fell asleep but he was out again as soon as he hit the ground. He could've slept in the saddle, but I couldn't resist making him mad and waking him.

So now its morning and Katara and I are already packed and ready to go. And of course, Sokka is asleep. I examined our surroundings and picked up a stick. "Wanna see something funny?" I asked Katara with a devious grin. She raised an eyebrow and waved for me to continue.

"You know, I heard snakes are horrible around this time of the year," I said a little too loudly. I grinned wider and traced the pattern of a snake slithering on Sokka. He shot up screaming 'Get it off' and started to jump around in his sleeping bag. "I think it's in the bag, Sokka!" I said through a fit of laughter. Sokka was still struggling to get out of the bag but then realized there was no snake and stopped his efforts.

I jumped onto Appa's head and looked at Katara in the saddle. She was laughing like crazy, eyes watering and gripping her side. At least I made one person's day better.

**Zuko:**

I marched down the ramp of my ship with my uncle onto the docks. When we crashed into the ice, our ship was damaged greatly, along with my pride. My entire crew and I were beat by one kid. I was furious and really not in the mood for this. I find the Avatar after two years of searching and he got away!

"I want repairs made to our ship as soon as possible! I don't want to lose his trail!" I said forcefully. Two years is such a long time to be away from home. And with the Avatar so close, I couldn't bear the thought.

"You mean the Avatar?" Uncle asked innocently. We finally got to the bottom of the ramp and were standing on the docks. Much larger ships surrounded us and my pride hurt even more as I examined our small ship.

"Do not say his name on this dock! I don't want to alert anyone else of his existence. I don't want to have to compete with the whole fire nation, Uncle!" I hissed pointing my finger in his face. That old man was so dense some times that I wished he didn't accompany on this journey. I was ashamed to call him family.

"Competing for what, Prince Zuko?" a snarky voice called from behind me. I groaned. I knew that voice, and I wished that I would've heard anyone else's. "Because I do enjoy winning."

"Captain Zhao," I snorted as he came in front of me. He stood about two feet away from me which was too close for my liking. His presence made me irritated and impatient.

"It's Commander now," He replied with a smirk. I growled quietly. I didn't want to put up with him or his huge sideburns right now, especially with the Avatar so close. "General Iroh, great hero of our nation," He said with a respectful bow.

"Retired general," Uncle said with a bow in return. I felt my good eye twitch. All I wanted was for my ship to get fixed and for this _commander_ to go the heck away. I had enough to deal with!

"The Fire Lord's son and brother are honored guests but what brings you to my harbor?" He asked. I noticed he only spoke to Uncle. I gritted my teeth together and clenched my fists. I hated this man.

"Our ship was damaged," Uncle Iroh told Zhao. He gestured back to our nearly destroyed ship. It looked even more pathetic now that someone else was here with us.

Zhao raised his eyebrows in shock and disbelief, "That is some extensive damage." He looked at me skeptically.

I narrowed my eyes, "Yes, you wouldn't believe what happened. We were…attacked by… a fleet of earthbenders. It was quite a fight." His look of skepticism didn't waver but he smiled.

"Well, you must fill me in on all the thrilling details, seeing as you will be here for some time. Join me for a drink?" He brought his face down to my level and narrowed his eyes too. I grimaced at his close proximity.

"Sadly, we have business to attend to," I said never loosing eye contact.

Uncle put a hand on my shoulder, "Prince Zuko, show some manners. We would be honored to join you, Commander." Uncle said turning to Zhao. The turned and walked away. I firebended a small fire around to release some of my anger and reluctantly followed. Curse my uncle and curse Zhao. All I wanted right now was the Avatar in a prison cell, insuring my honor.

**Aang:**

"Are we almost there?" Sokka complained. He was searching through his bags for any food he had left. All of us knew he ate it all last night. I was sitting with Katara on Appa's head observing our surroundings.

"Yes, the mountain range is right up ahead. We're very close!" I sat up straighter and took a firmer grip on the reigns. Katara took a sudden interest in her gloves.

"Aang," She said seriously, "Before we arrive, there's something you need to know about the airbenders. I mean, I just want you to be completely prepared for what you may see. The fire nation is ruthless. They killed my own mother. The same could have very well happened to all your people." I processed this slowly. I was afraid of what it may mean for me. I was already gone for a hundred years but being alone in the world wouldn't help me recover from the shock.

"Maybe they're just in hiding. We don't have an army but we aren't stupid people. Just because no one has seen an airbender doesn't mean they have to be dead," I said quietly. I could only hope. I was the Avatar after all. If they were all dead, it was on my shoulders since I wasn't there to protect them. I wasn't prepared for yet another burden.

"Aang…" she trailed off. Normally, Katara was an optimist, but now, she was sounding too much like her skeptic brother. I didn't want to jump to any conclusions until I reached the temple.

"I know, I know," I told her shaking my head slightly, "I just can't give up my hope yet. I can only assure myself. It's impossible to reach the temple without a bison. Just let me have this for right now. I'll deal with it when the time comes." She put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and sighed.

"Yip, yip," I told Appa as we came up on the mountain range. We needed to pick up speed and altitude if we were going to make it up alive. We started flying at an almost ninety degree angle and Katara was having a hard time keeping a grip on Appa's head. I put my arm around her to steady her. I noticed a blush creep up on her face and I felt warmth spread across mine too. Sokka laughed behind us while clinging to the saddle. Did he have to ruin this moment for me?

We finally cleared the mountain and the Air Temple came into view. I could see the blue rooftops of the temples, bridges connecting slopes, and the beautiful buildings I was so accustomed to. "There it is." I said with my arm not moving from its position. The temple normally had air nomads flying around on gliders and bison hovering over temples watching their young play with airbenders. Now it was just lifeless.

"It's amazing," Katara said in an awestruck whisper. I grinned at the sense of pride that overwhelmed me. My home was amazing. My stomach churned, in a way I couldn't explain. Maybe I was happier Katara liked it than I was sad about its lifelessness.

**Zuko:**

"That is what we plan," Commander Zhao finished. I had stopped paying close attention an hour ago. He was talking strategy and about taking down the Earth Kingdom capital. I only picked up enough to follow along and sound smart afterwards.

I snorted and leaned back in my chair. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, "If my father thinks the world will go along willingly with the capital's demise, then he is a fool!" I set my jaw and crossed my arms. This was ridiculous.

"I see that two years at sea has not done much to tame your tongue," He snickered in disrespect. "Speaking of which, how is your search for the Avatar coming. Is it yielding any results?" he asked in a sarcastic tone. I may be a banished prince, but I felt he was not in such a place to make snide remarks. I wanted to rip off his sideburns.

Across the room, the rack of weapons Uncle was examining all fell to the ground. I wanted to smack myself in the face and hope it was only my imagination. "My fault entirely," Uncle apologized.

"We haven't found him yet," I said to cover up for my uncle's blunder; "There are no signs of his existence or whereabouts." Uncle smiled apologetically to me as Zhao faced me.

"Well what did you expect? He died over a hundred years ago along with the air nomads," Zhao huffed. I looked away so he wouldn't see the truth in my eyes. Hopefully, he would play it off as me being upset. But I had no luck, "Unless you _have_ found some evidence that he is alive." His mouth curled into a cruel smile and his eyebrows knitted together.

I looked him straight in the eyes with my fists clenched, "I told you I have found _nothing_." I said the last word through clenched teeth. I stood up, "Come on Uncle, we're going."

The guards crossed their spears, blocking my path, "Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you ordered, they confirmed that Zuko had the Avatar in custody. He escaped."

My nostrils flared as Zhao walked behind, "Earthbender fleet, you said?" I couldn't see him but I knew his face held the cruel, evil smirk. I was caught red handed.

**Aang:**

"Are we ever going to get something to eat?" Sokka moaned from the back of the group. His face was contorted into a grimace and he was holding his stomach. I laughed; at least the snow was only about ankle deep. If it were any higher, he would really be suffering.

Katara and I walked together along the small trail, side by side. Since Sokka wasn't even mildly interested, I was giving her the tour. I told her about every adventure I had here and what every building was used for.

"Sokka," she said annoyed, "you are lucky enough to be the rare outsider to visit the temple and all you can think about is food? That is so ridiculous!" She crossed her arms and put her nose in the air. She seemed interested in my culture and stories, but to be honest, I was only telling her to show off. I don't think she minded too much, judging by the tone she took up with Sokka just now.

He only grumbled a response about being a simple guy. I rolled my eyes. Sokka was a cool guy and all, but he was rather annoying. "Sokka stop complaining or I'll give you something to complain about!" I exclaimed picking up my pace.

"Like what?" he said sarcastically, "Oh mighty Avatar."

"I was only joking!" Sokka whined. We were standing on the poles we used for air ball, a game my friends and I used to play. I grabbed the air ball and floated it around me.

I didn't really plan on actually hurting Sokka. I just wanted to make him shut up. Judging by his size, I figured he could take a hit or two. I grinned, "Well I wasn't! Look alive, Sokka!"

I airbended the ball and it bounced off the poles with only a little force. When it reached Sokka, he was in a terrible stance and received a blow to the stomach. I flinched as he fell backwards into a pile of snow and rock. It may have hurt him, but it was still pretty funny.

Katara and I casually walked over to him, taking our time. He was getting up, or at least was trying to. He was buried pretty deep in the snow. "I'm only helping you since I scored seven points and won the game." I smiled and airbended the snow off him. He stood up, still grumbling.

"Does this mean I can eat now?" Sokka held his stomach. Then something landed on his head and he screamed! "Get it off!" Katara laughed and pulled the lemur off Sokka's head.

"It's so cute!" she said taking it into her arms. It chirped in pleasure and Katara laughed at his wide green eyes so full of excitement.

But that wasn't what concerned me. Next to Sokka the whole time was a helmet with a fire nation emblem. I gasped. Katara was right. Firebenders were up here. I looked around for more evidence but this area wasn't where a fight would take place. Airbenders would either take to the skies or fight close to buildings to use to their advantage. I knew that would be where I needed to go to confirm this. "Come on," I told them as I made my way up the mountain.

The further I got up the mountain, the more ruined the place looked. There were still scorch marks, littered armor on the ground, and rubble. No! This couldn't be happening. "Aang maybe this isn't a good idea!" Katara said trying to keep up, "You don't know what you will see!"

Somewhere, deep in a part of my mind that wasn't engulfed in panic, knew she was right. I already had proof that they were here. I already knew that the airbenders were gone. But I had to see for myself.

I looked for the one place I knew by heart. Gyatso always stayed there during the day.

"_Aang, you aren't very concerned with your lesson," Gyatso sounded next to me. He was removing pies from the oven and placing them on the railing. It was a morning ritual of ours. But we rarely ate them._

_I flicked my wrists and sent the pies flying to their destination. Each one hit their target perfectly: one for each airbender elder. "Gyatso, they took me to the sanctuary. I knew those people in there. They were me! And I only want to be me! I don't want to be them too! I don't want to be the Avatar!" I said impatiently. _

_He nodded patiently, "It's a lot to take in Aang. But even though the responsibility is great, the satisfaction is even greater. You will always be helping people. It is a hard but rewarding path."_

_I shook my head. I leaned against the railing and studied the temple below me. There were small monks running around playing games and chasing lemurs. There was some training going on and some monks just strolling around or meditating. But the scenery no longer brought me peace, it brought me frustration._

"_I don't want this, Gyatso."_

**Zuko:**

A very long story short: Zhao chewed us out. He even had the audacity to tell me that I could no longer capture the Avatar, that it was his responsibility now. If he could challenge me, I could very well return the favor. So I did. I was not going to be insulted in such a manner. I was going to stand for my honor. I challenged him to a duel.

Uncle was telling me that I was out of my mind to challenge him. But this was only about holding up my respect and keeping with pride I had left. I knew enough firebending to defend myself and make well aimed strikes. I could beat him and give him a scar to match mine. And I would do it.

"Do not think you are above using basics, Prince Zuko," Uncle was lecturing me once again on how to beat him. "Many benders forget them and it leaves them weak and defenseless. Zhao will very much be like that. You will have to outsmart him. He was power, but you have to use wits. You may both be firebenders, but this isn't the time to fight fire with fire."

I nodded and took my position. I knelt down, my back facing Zhao and I knew he was doing the same. I relaxed all my muscles and controlled my breathing. Uncle may be a crazy old man, but he knew how to bend, and I decided if I were to ever take his advice, it had to be now.

I stood and turned around, shrugging the ceremonial piece of cloth of my shoulders. I saw Zhao mimic my movement. I had to stop myself from flashing back to my last duel. I readied my stance. It was firm but I stood on the balls of my feet ready to move. My fists were held out in front of me at the perfect position for defense.

I noticed Zhao's stance and thought back to what Uncle said, it was weak. He didn't want basics. He wanted power. I smirked to myself, already forming a plan. My first few attacks would be high to make him think I would go for his face. And when his attention was focused upward, I would attack his poor stance below. It was basic enough to work.

Zhao pushed fire out of his hand, aimed at my midsection. I waved it off and sent my first attack towards his face. He reflected it easily and moved to attack again. But I sent multiple fire balls to his face and chest. While he was deflecting them, I moved closer and took another firm stance. I sent one more flame to the face then swept my leg across the side of his knees. He fell to the ground with a groan but recovered quickly.

He took the offense and rolled back up with more fire. He kept trying to close in on me but I was holding him off. I noticed every three strikes; he swung his arm back for a more powerful one. It was giving him horrible balance and I was about to exploit that. His third strike came again, I ducked and then punched him in the stomach and sent him flying.

He couldn't recover this time and laid on the ground panting. "Next time, you'll think twice about insulting me." I growled through clenched teeth. Uncle and I left him laying on the ground and with my pride.

**Aang:**

I finally reached the small outing we occupied so many times. Along the way, I saw many scattered bodies but there was only one I was concerned about finding.

I rounded one last corner and was met by the worst sight I had ever laid eyes on. Firebenders were littered around my once favorite place. But it wasn't the worst part. In the middle of all that, Gyatso's skeleton sat propped up against the wall. Snow covered most of their bodies, but not enough to conceal them.

I fell down to my knees. My worst fears were realized. Katara was right; all of them were dead, even my guardian. I was the last one left. I had no family.

My knees were becoming soaked with snow and my body was shaking madly from restrained sobs. I wouldn't cry. I was the Avatar, I was a man! I could handle this. But all of my strength surged out of me as Katara pulled me into her arms. She rested my head on her shoulder and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I didn't return the hug immediately though. It took me a minute to respond by wrapping me arms around her waist.

My body shook again but only a few tears escaped. I wanted to be strong for my people I abandoned. If I couldn't be strong in that life, I would be strong in this one.

I felt Sokka put his hand on my back and a lemur sit on my lap. "Aang, your people may be gone, but you have us. We're your family, Aang. We're going to help you."

I shook my head as well as I could. It was hard to do while so deep in thought, "He was like my dad." I remember every great time we had. I could remember every shred of advice he gave me and how much he taught me.

"I lost my mother, Aang. And it does hurt, but you learn to deal with it. You find people who love you just as much." I sighed. Love was such a strong word to use right now. It was a word I didn't feel i deserved to be associated with. You didn't abandon people you loved to die.

"I'm going to make it up to them," I promised. I felt Katara nod. Maybe I did lose this family but I knew I wasn't alone. And while this would hurt for a while, I would get over it. Once again, I was glad it was Katara who found me. Maybe something good would come out of this. And one thing was for certain.

I was going to end this war, for my people and for Katara's mom and for anyone else who died in my absence. I was going to give them hell.

**Well that was pretty long. So tell me what y'all thought. Good, bad, okay, need a lot of improving? Clicking that little blue button and reviewing makes my day and this story better! So type away! Thanks for reading!**


	3. The Warriors of Kyoshi

**Y'all are amazing! I love y'alls reviews and I certainly didn't imagine having so many already. And that's what inspired me to squeeze in this chapter before my dreaded family vacation. It is also in Aang's point of view and I couldn't help but add in some awkward Kataang haha! This, overall, will probably be a pretty boring chapter because I found the actual episode to be boring but I'll do my best to make it better. Enjoy! **

Katara and I were sitting on Appa's head like usual, talking and Sokka was at the back of the saddle. I guess he wasn't much of a people person. Then again, if you're sarcastic and a downer, I doubt people would like you back. Speaking of that, that's probably why we're in this situation.

"Katara," Sokka shouted from the back, "I need you to fix my pants!" The guy was completely inept when it came to anything but eating and sleeping. I was seriously wondering how he had made it this far. Katara must've ran their house pretty well to keep him alive this long. I snickered at the thought.

"Okay, Sokka, I'll see what I can do," Katara said patiently climbing into the saddle. I stood up so I could see what was going on. Sometimes, I wonder if Appa understands a lot more than I give him credit for because as soon as she started climbing up, he shifted his flying position making Katara fall…into me. She fell straight into me and I instinctively wrapped my arms around her. Her face was buried in my chest and her arms around my torso. Anyone who saw us would've thought we were embracing. I thought of Sokka in the back watching us. I was embarrassed at the thought of her over protective brother watching us in such a position.

I was blushing and nervous. I had hugged Katara earlier but that was because she was comforting me. This was a lot different though and my nervousness was making me ramble, "Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Wow, you're really short."

Neither of us let go of the other so we just stood there awkwardly not really know how to react. "I'm short?" Katara asked with a small laugh and stood up straight to take her full weight off of me. I was suddenly glad for the small distance that made the weirdness go away a little but I was a bit upset she moved.

"Well, I guess compared to me," I smiled through my blush and I saw her do that same. I really was a lot taller than her. I stood over a head taller than her. I even had a few inches on Sokka. We stood there for another long moment. The gentle breeze was blowing her braid and hair loopies gently. Her smile was dazzling and her eyes deserved to have a whole new color named after them. My stomach lurched at our proximity and I realized how great it felt. I thought about what it would be like to kiss her. Being a monk I never kissed anyone and never really had the urge to seeing as there were no girls around. But being around Katara made me feel different.

"Will you guys stop flirting so Katara can fix my pants?" Sokka moaned from the back. We dropped our arms from each other and our blushes increased. I mumbled some apology I couldn't decipher and Katara climbed back into the saddle event free. I had an empty feeling watching her go and I tried to shake it off to listen to their conversation. "There's a huge hole in them!" he threw the pants to her and Katara pulled some needle and thread from her bag.

I watched as Katara started to sew the pants back to their original condition. I watched her eye brows scrunch together in slight concentration and a content look pass her face. She must have done this often and gotten very used to it. Her hands glided over the cloth gracefully and with great ease. She definitely did this often.

"Why don't you sew them, Sokka?" I asked leaning against the saddle, still standing and looking at Katara, "Even I can repair my clothes." It was true. The monks didn't have housewives to do things for them so they took up the chores most women at that time would do. But I didn't mind it at all. It made me feel useful when I did things for myself.

"Because that's a woman's job!" Sokka cried. For the first time I looked over at him and saw he had no pants. I don't know why I couldn't figure that out before. Maybe it was because I was studying Katara so intently. Whatever the reason, it still gave me quite a shock.

"Sokka, put some pants on or a blanket or something!" I said shielding my eyes. His parka covered down to about mid-thigh but it was not on my agenda to look at a guy who had no pants on.

"Whatever," he crossed his arms, "Just go back to watching my sister." I blushed. I didn't think I made it that obvious that I was staring at her. But if her brother was giving me permission…

I couldn't help but obey him and watch her sew. I rolled my eyes at Sokka's comment. Of course he would think he was above fixing his own pants. "A woman's job, huh?" Katara asked stopping her sewing. I looked at Sokka awaiting some sarcastic answer. I could feel a fight creeping up between them.

"Yes, it is a woman's job to cook, clean and fix my pants," he stuck his nose in the air and I could feel pride radiating off of him. It disgusted me, "It's a man's job to bring home food and fight." Maybe it was because I was raised a nomad and took care of myself…but his statement made no sense to me.

I laughed as Katara sat there in shock, pants still in hand. "But, Sokka you can't do either!" Katara giggled at my comment and resumed her sewing. Sokka clenched his teeth and crossed his arms tighter around him. My gaze went back to Katara.

"Well, Mr. Avatar, master of all four elements and sewing, could you go back to flying your magic beast?" Katara looked up at me and smiled. It was her way of apologizing for her brother's stupidity. I shrugged the insult off and with a smile, sat back down to steer Appa. "Where are we going anyway?"

I leaned back and stretched out my legs. I had been getting restless with all the flying. When most monks traveled, they would use their breaks to airbend and release all that energy. The problem was, we were very rarely stopping, "We're going to make a stop at Kyoshi Island. Appa could really use the rest, and quite frankly, I can't stay still much longer."

"Kyoshi Island? Why there?" Katara asked absent mindedly. She was almost done with Sokka's pants. Our lemur, Momo, jumped on my lap. I didn't want to leave the little guy at the air temple all alone so we kind of adopted him. He didn't seem to mind either.

"Well…" I said dramatically, "They have these Elephant Koi fish I've been dying to ride." Momo screeched in agreement and I grinned at his excitement.

"Can you eat them?" Sokka asked completely uninterested. Katara sighed at his obsession with food. I think if I heard one more thing about food from him that I was going to be driven mad. I was starting to wish that we left him at the South Pole.

It took a few hours but we made it to the island and landed on the beach without any problems. I immediately jumped onto the ground and stretched. I may an airbender but I was getting uncomfortable from all the flying. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Katara and Sokka make their way off Appa with Momo following behind.

The sand was cold beneath my feet and snow dotted some of the trees and shrubs. The air was warmer here than at the air temple but it was still chilly. That guaranteed cold water.

My eyes scanned the water for the giant fish. The water was a beautiful blue and the sun sparkled off it perfectly. Just like penguin sledding, I had heard about the Koi fish. I normally would've shrugged it off since we did have a destination to reach but I was dying from restlessness and I needed to do something exciting before I burst.

Two giant fish broke the water, falling in an arch. I grinned and stripped down to my simple brown boxers. I was aware of Katara watching me and I was glad she was far enough away to miss my blush.

I took in a deep breath and dove into the water. That was a horrible idea…the water was as cold as ice and I lurched out of it screaming. It was so cold it burned my skin. But as I fell back into the clear water, but body began to adjust to the drastic temperature.

I swam out to where the fish were jumping in and out the water. I smiled and airbended myself onto one of the fish's fins. The ride was thrilling. I held onto the fin for all I had and was screaming at the rush that course through my veins. We arched in and out the water with grace even I wasn't accustomed to. The cold water misted around me and stung my skin from how fast we were going.

I looked to the shore and saw Momo jumping beside a very excited Katara and an uninterested Sokka. I focused my attention on Katara which I found myself doing very often. Her blue eyes were wide and a brilliant smile etched her face. I waved at them with the biggest grin I could muster through the wind.

I was so caught up in her that I didn't notice the shadow covering the water or the waves picking up. The other two fish swam off in other directions and the Koi I was on was swimming faster. The one thing I didn't account for was the sea monster that was rumored to lurk here: the Unagi.

The monster was huge! It had grayish skin and that's about all I could remember before the koi threw me off. I skidded on the water and starting sprinting for the shore. I was using airbending to run across the water at an otherworldly pace. I was not going to be a dinner for the Unagi!

Katara was frozen in place and Sokka was yelling something I couldn't interpret. I was nearing the shore and I could feel the waves picking up behind me even more. There was no way I was going to make it!

I pushed myself with one last gust of wind and sent myself flying onto the shore. I was going to live! But my celebrations were short lived. I was making a bee line for the biggest tree on the shore and it was too late to redirect myself. I braced myself for the crash of a life time.

And man, did it hurt. All my impact was focused to my left shoulder and I felt it pop out of socket. I think I even felt my collarbone break. It was terrible. The snow that was on the tree fell onto me making me shiver more. Riding the koi was probably one of the worst ideas I ever had. But one thing was for sure, I wouldn't be getting too restless anytime soon.

"Aang!" Katara came up to me sliding down to her knees. Her faced reflected horror when she saw my shoulder. Under normal circumstances, I would love to be this close to her, but now, all I could think about was someone popping my shoulder back into place and fixing whatever I broke. "We have to get you some help in the village!" she pushed me back down when I tried to sit up and told Sokka to get over here.

She helped me up with Sokka's help and I tried not to jar my shoulder. "Can I get my pants on…humph!" something pushed me to the ground, blindfolded me and bound my hands together. It was the most excruciating feeling I had ever felt. My shoulder was going numb and I was about to lose all the contents in my stomach.

I heard Sokka cursing beside me and Katara say something but I missed it completely. Whoever captured us gagged Sokka by the sounds of it. I moaned as they dragged us away.

I must've lost consciousness because when I opened my eyes, we were tied to some sort of wooden pole and Sokka was mouthing off again. I could see around so they must've taken the blindfolds off after they tied us up. My shoulder still felt terrible and my stomach still wasn't at ease. I was shaking from pain and cold. I was still in my underwear…in front of a whole village.

"How do we know you aren't fire nation spies?" a man demanded. He sounded like he was important judging from his tone and I knew Sokka's insults couldn't be helping us any. He was dressed in blue clothing like most of the villagers gathered around us. The only ones dressed differently were some warrior looking girls in green. Something about them seemed familiar… One girl seemed to be leading them. She had the shortest hair of the group and her stance told me she was strong willed and stubborn. Her face paint was perfect down to every streak of red, white and black. She had a stare that could kill and unfortunately, she was looking at me.

"Because I'm the Avatar," I said through gritted teeth. I tried to wiggle myself into a more comfortable position for my shoulder but only succeeded in make it worse. The ropes were tied across my chest and legs. I moaned from the pain and leaned my head against the pole.

"The Avatar disappeared a hundred years ago!" The man looked baffled that I would make such a comment. "He died with the airbenders!" he stroked his beard with the hand that wasn't crossed against his chest.

The town was watching me. I felt like an idiot: I was in my underwear, dripping wet, and claiming to be the Avatar. Katara was tied next to my good shoulder on the right. She was looking at me expectantly, "Do some airbending!"

"It's going to be kind of hard with my shoulder messed up and tied down!" I whispered back frantically. I had no idea what to do. Katara just looked up at me with her big blue eyes. I sighed and closed my eyes. "I can do airbending! Look!" I took in a deep breath and aimed at a tree, hoping up blow it around of uproot it since it was pretty small.

But the lead warrior girl must have sensed an attack of something and got in my way and stood right in my line of air to take whatever attack I sent so it wouldn't hurt anyone else. She had a hero complex and this was going to be bad. She was thrown back into the tree I was aiming for and slumped to the ground, "That wasn't supposed to happen!" I said defensively with my mouth hanging open.

The warrior got back up and brushed the snow off her, "You _are_ an airbender!" at the same time the whole town was whispering in excited voices. There was even on guy foaming at the mouth. I was a little creeped out…

"I'm sorry Avatar! Suki, untie them!" the girl I just blew into a tree came and cut the ropes off of us. She lingered by me the longest and her hand brushed my bare stomach. I didn't know if it was on purpose or what but I was looking at Katara for help. She just looked at me with an emotion I have never seen cross her eyes before and I had the urge to just look away and shut up.

"Do we have to untie _him_?" Suki asked walking over to Sokka after she untied Katara and I, "The Unagi would love to eat him." The chief told her to let him free and she unwillingly obeyed.

I stepped towards the chief, "Um…if you don't mind, I need some help with my shoulder. I think it's dislocated." I pointed to my left shoulder.

He nodded his head frantically. "Of course, I'll even show you the house in which you can stay. We would be happy to accommodate you and your friends!" he signaled for us to follow him and sent Suki for my clothes after I explained where they were. I would've been happy to go get them but I needed someone to help me with this shoulder.

He led the three of us to one of the biggest houses in the town and showed us inside. It was relatively simple but still large. There was a table full of food on the other side of the room and I saw a staircase that must've led to our rooms.

"Once again, I am terribly sorry about the misunderstanding, I hope you can forgive us!" he bowed. I felt bad for the man. They obviously didn't get many visitors and wanted to desperately stay out the war, or so he said. I couldn't really hold that against him.

I bowed back, "It's really no problem." I straightened up and he followed suit. We stood for a second observing the house as he told us where everything we needed would be at.

"And help yourself to any food," He gestured to the table, "And we would be happy to supply you with other things for you journey later. Suki will be back any moment with your clothes and she will look at your shoulder. I'm afraid she is the only one who would be able to place it back. The doctors here are…well intimidated and don't want to accidently hurt you. They don't get much practice with things being so calm here." he said with a shrug. He left with a bow and left Katara and I to the house. Sokka disappeared out the door probably to go sulk somewhere.

"I have to trust her to fix my shoulder?" I asked Katara, the worry very evident in my voice. "I mean, did you see the way she looked at me?" I sat down on a mat that was on the floor.

Katara looked at me for a second before sitting on my right side, away from my bad shoulder. "It means she likes you, Aang," Katara hissed. She didn't meet my eyes and I almost laughed at how obvious she was. I thought I had been doing a bad job with concealing my emotions but she was doing far worse.

"Likes me?" I laughed, "Maybe like to kill me." I shook with laughter but then regretted it when my shoulder jarred with the movement. I groaned and stopped laughing.

Katara just stared at me. I was very aware I was still only in my underwear and I blushed. "That's just her way of showing it," she said seriously. "I feel bad for Sokka. The first girl he meets his age and she doesn't even like him. It's too bad he likes her…"

I snorted and looked at Katara, "And it's too bad I don't like her at all. Funny how that works out." She glanced up at me with curiosity in her eyes. I gave her a lopsided grin. I felt really confident at the moment and maybe would finally do something.

But no, of course someone has to ruin it. And it was the stupid Kyoshi Warrior. "I found your clothes," she walked in and sat my clothes next to me. I saw her look at Katara and examine our close proximity, which I noticed myself. "I'm going to put your shoulder back into place and then look at your collarbone. It's going to hurt at first but try not to move." Her eyes swept over me and I felt really self conscious.

Now, I didn't have a bad body. I was rather muscular but still thin. I was also told I didn't look bad either. But there was just something about someone _looking_ at you that made you feel uncomfortable about yourself, "Okay."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I didn't want to watch this. I counted the seconds. One…two…three… "AHHH!" I yelped in pain. Two strong hands gripped my shoulder and pushed it into its proper place. I heard Katara gasp next to me.

"It's good now," Suki said next to me. And it was. My shoulder felt remarkably better though my collarbone still throbbed. Her hands didn't leave me though. I opened my eyes and saw her very close to me. I felt myself blush as she ran her hands along my clavicle. "It's not broken and I doubt its fractured. It just looks severely bruised. I wouldn't pick up anything too heavy or bend for a few days." She wrapped some bandaging tape over my shoulder to keep it in place. She even put tape over my side. She said it was to strengthen the tape for my shoulder but I think she wanted to touch my abs because it made no sense to me.

I nodded really hoping she would stop touching me. I looked over to Katara for help. My face must've looked pretty desperate because when she looked at me her eyes went soft and she stopped glaring at Suki. Then Katara said something that almost made me choke in surprise, "Now, if you don't mind, my _boyfriend_ needs to get dressed."

Suki's eyes almost popped out of her head but she moved away slowly, "Very well. Inform us if you need anything, Avatar." Suki left with one last glare at Katara and a wistful look at me.

When she was finally out of earshot, I looked at Katara, "Boyfriend?"

She shrugged and helped me up, "She'll leave you alone now. Now let's get you dressed. Don't move your shoulder too much."

The next day was spent in town gathering supplies for our pending trip. My shoulder was already getting better but the Suki situation was not. Wherever Katara and I went, Suki seemed to be following. "She's really creepy," I whispered to Katara as I held our basket of food in my good arm.

"You never know, she may have been assigned to be your body guard of something," Yeah, like the Avatar needs a bodyguard. Katara smiled. She was really enjoyed torturing Suki. Every time we saw her, she would intertwined our hands and kiss my cheek. And every time, it never failed, I blushed.

It was also very annoying for our fan girls that were stalking us. Since they couldn't have me, they went after Sokka instead who didn't seem to mind it at all. They drug him around and got their pictures painted, he flexed his muscles, and his ego expanded to the size of the whole island. It must've taken his mind off of liking Suki. "I hope she doesn't kill you in your sleep out of jealousy or something," I whispered to her as I saw Suki walk away from us, "Because we just started fake dating!"

Katara shrugged with a blush and just looked ahead hoping to get back to the house without another fan girl incident. Something told me she was enjoying the fake dating as much as me.

**Zuko:**

I sat down for dinner at the table with my uncle. We had been trying to guess the Avatar's next location but there were barely any sightings and when there was one, it yielded no results. It was really starting to agitate me.

"Prince Zuko," Uncle said next to me, "Drink some tea. Your food will be here shortly. Try to relax. You won't be any good in a fight if you're hungry and tense." He sipped his own tea and waited patiently for his roast duck.

Our chef walked in with my fish and Uncle's roast duck. He sat our food in front of us with a bow, "Prince Zuko, I have some good news!" he said still bowing, "I heard at the docks that the Avatar is at Kyoshi Island!"

I jumped up and grabbed my fish, "You are dismissed," I told the chef, "Uncle eat now, then come to the bridge. We need to prepare for battle. He will not win this time. Set course to Kyoshi Island!"

**Aang:**

"Are you guys almost ready?" I asked putting one last bag on Appa. We had enough supplies to last at least a week and I was ready to go. The faster we got to the North Pole the better. I also didn't want to meet that freaky scar dude again. He may not be too bright but he could really slow us down.

"I'm ready," Katara said tossing me an extra sleeping back. My shoulder had healed fast and it didn't bother me much today. My bruising was also going down pretty fast. I figured being the Avatar wasn't all that bad.

"Avatar Aang," Someone asked below me. I jumped off Appa to stand face to face with Suki. "The Kyoshi Warriors would like you to have these." She handed me two fans identical to the others they fought with, "They could be very useful with airbending and we wanted you to thank you for helping our town." She pointed to the statue of Avatar Kyoshi in the distance that was newly painted and cleaned, "You gave us hope again and something to fight for. We are forever thankful." She bowed and then sat up with a smile on her face. "Goodbye Aang."

"Bye," I said with some fake enthusiasm. I was glad to help them with all their hope issues but I was happier to get away from Suki. She was also right about the fans being good for airbending. They would serve a much similar purpose as that of my staff. They would be a good backup to carry around even if they didn't look very manly. "Thanks for everything, Suki."

She nodded and walked off very slowly. We both knew I wouldn't be calling her back to me for an extravagant goodbye. One: I didn't have the guts or nerve to do that to anyone. Two: she still really creeped me out.

The three of us climbed onto Appa and slowly took off. The entire village saw us off, too. I felt really great to know not everyone hated me for going away. It gave me a lot of hope for our future in this war.

But you know what destroys hope? Seeing your enemies newly fixed boat sailing straight for the island of innocent people you just left. I knew we couldn't go back. A fight between the two of us would destroy the town. But I couldn't just sit back and do nothing.

I grabbed my glider and slipped the two fans in my belt. I was going to catch his attention and give him a reason to leave to village and come look for me. Before Katara and Sokka could stop me and before my shoulder could protest too much, I jumped off Appa, opened my glider and soared down to Zuko's ship.

I landed on the bridge where he was standing with an old guy who was sipping tea. The old man gave me a curious look but I ignored him, "And I thought I would have to terrorize a village again to get you."

"You know what you need to get?" I asked him with my staff posed in front of me, ready for a quick strike, "A girlfriend, because this stalking thing has gone way too far." I smiled at his reaction. Smoke came off of him, signaling his anger.

I airbended down to the deck and he slid down a ladder to follow me. I pulled a fan out ready to see what kind of damage it could do. I sent an airbending slice towards him and it cut the fire nation emblem on his helmet in half. I grinned. I was going to enjoy this weapon.

Zuko's face showed his surprise and slight fear but he sent fireballs my way without any hesitation. I put the closed fan back in my belt so I could work with my staff and make stronger attacks.

And I saw something I didn't want to see again: a large, grey shadow in the water. "You know, I think I found someone who would love to meet you!" He snorted at words. I smiled and blew him off the side of the boat straight for the submerged Unagi.

Before his crew could get me, I opened my glider and flew back to Appa. I landed on the saddle and Katara was already fussing over my shoulder. "That was so stupid, Aang! Now your shoulder will take longer to heal and…"

"Hey Katara," Sokka said behind us. She was still silently fussing over my shoulder that was completely fine, "Leave the guy alone. He just kicked that dude's butt and then fed him to the Unagi! Give him a break."

Sokka winked at me, fully knowing I was enjoying Katara fussing over me. I grimaced back at him. This was going to be a long trip.

**Just for the record, Zuko isn't dead. You'll find that out in the next chapter of how he escaped. And sorry if his fighting skills really suck…Aang's just really good! Again, not terribly interesting but I couldn't just skip it. So added another love interest for Aang. I found it to be pretty funny but hey, if that don't float your boat, sorry. Review and tell me what y'all thought! I'm open to all ideas! I really liked that one about Aang being gay in the Ember Island Players. Now that is going to be very interesting to write! Thank Y'all!**


	4. The King of Omashu

**I managed to sneak away and write this chapter! Curse you vacations! Again, thank y'all for the amazing reviews especially IMPERIOUSRULESANDSODOESKORAGG who has reviewed every one of my stories and been a great friend. And as in response to anon's review: There is no logic behind the ages. I just wanted Aang to be older. Everyone else is the same, but I just thought it would be cool if Aang was 16. That's all. Sorry if that threw you off. And to just address the problem of Suki being terribly OCC: I needed something to push Aang and Katara together and make things awkward. That and I have other plans for Sokka…oh that was a spoiler….**

Zuko climbed back onto the ship with a grunt. Minutes ago, the Avatar had fed him to the Unagi. Correction, the Avatar tried to feed Zuko to the monster and, thankfully for Zuko, failed.

It was really a miracle he survived at all. Zuko wasn't the best swimmer. Water was the exact opposite of his element: fire. And a giant sea monster certainly did not increase his confidence or odds.

As soon as his hit the cold, dark water, he was met by a yellow and green eye. It was menacing to behold. It was three times larger than Zuko, at least, and the colors stuck out against the dark water really making them scarier. Zuko was frozen momentarily with fear. He didn't have much time to catch his breath when he was thrown off the boat and now his lungs were burning. His eye sight was blurry and all he could see was the large eye staring at him. He had to get away. He started to back paddle towards the ship.

But even that came to an end. The Unagi swung its giant head and the wake it created sent Zuko flying into the ship. All that he could remember was trying to swim upward through the large waves and having no success.

Of course, things got worse for Zuko. The monster was swimming straight for him. He panicked and if he could breathe, he wouldn't be able to. He did the only thing he knew to do. He firebended. All it did was heat up the water around him and make it bubble. He was moving frantically towards the surface. Thankfully, he made it to the surface and the ladder was right above him. He gripped it and threw himself up. Some spirit out there must've really wanted him to survive because it seemed impossible to even be alive.

Now, he was spitting up water on the deck as he pulled his helmet off. He took in deep breathes of air. His crew was rushing towards him but he didn't want to be humiliated further so he waved them off. He was going to kill the Avatar before the Avatar could kill him.

…..

After a few long days of travel, the Avatar and his friends found themselves outside a town Aang had visited once. He didn't get to go anywhere since he was training to be a master airbender his whole life, but he did meet some council leaders. Maybe they were sages. Aang couldn't remember their exact title, but they did meet here. It seemed to be a convenient location for them all and it was a calm, quiet city. It was perfect for their meeting with the Avatar to discuss his future. The people he met were boring and he was glad he got to sneak away from the meeting for a day to roam the town. After all, it was Aang's first time away from the temple and the town was amazing. It was a lot different from the serenity of the temple. It was alive in a different way.

He remembered one person he met on his journey through the city, a twelve year old boy named Bumi. Bumi was one crazy kid. He saw impossible possibilities to every situation and had an odd outlook on everything. Aang quickly became friends with the strange boy.

Bumi showed him the best part of the city: riding the mail carts. It was really a thrill compared to boring meetings about his duties. Omashu had this huge mail delivery system all throughout the city. Small carts hauled the mail on the ramps and, through earthbending, were transported around. It was a great invention for mail, but it was also great for riding.

Aang had always been one for adventure and this time was no different. He jumped into a cart with Bumi, and Bumi earthbended them faster down the slopes. Aang was screaming with delight and Bumi was just screaming because he was crazy. Aang sat in the front of the cart and was perplexed by the view of the city and the rush of the wind. Being an airbender, the rush and the joy of doing something adventurous was enough for him to escape the reality of his life as Avatar. That was something he really had to thank Bumi for. Life was getting dry because of all the training and lectures.

Being outside the gates of the city now really overwhelmed Aang. He felt happy yet nostalgic. Things wouldn't be like that ever again. His days of fun and games would probably be long over once word got out of his existence, or so Sokka had told him. Sokka, despite his odd sense of humor, was a buzz kill. He was serious at all the wrong times. It bothered Aang to no end.

"We have to disguise Aang if we want to get through the city without a problem," Sokka began sifting through his bag of items. He brought out a hat and then laughed aloud, "You two can be the married couple and I'll be over protective brother-in-law helping you travel abroad. You guys made a great couple on Kyoshi." Sokka enjoyed messing with Aang even if he was taller, stronger, and a bender.

Aang and Katara blushed and looked around to avoid each others' gazes. Aang rubbed the back of his neck and mumbled, "I don't know, Sokka." Katara settled for kicking a rock that was lodged in the earth.

"Come on," Sokka protested, "It's a great plan; Katara even has the necklace to make it even more believable." Katara had to admit she loved the idea of having an excuse to be close to Aang but this would be embarrassing for both of them and Sokka was going to use this as revenge because Suki liked Aang, not him. "It's just until we get our supplies and leave."

Katara risked a glance at Aang and accidently met his eyes. She looked away hurriedly, "If Aang is up to it, then I guess it's okay…" Aang blushed even more and just shrugged, eager to get this over with.

"Then it's settled. Aang here's a hat," Sokka pushed a random hat from his bag onto Aang's bald head. "I don't have any gloves so just be mindful of your hands. Keep one in Katara's and the other somewhere facing away from the guards…maybe holding your glider off to the side." Aang blushed at the fact he would have to hold Katara's hand for quite a while. He was sixteen years old and still had problems with this one girl.

"Okay," Aang took in a deep breath, "Appa will have to stay here with Momo." Aang adjusted his hat, "I think we're ready to go."

"Then you two get to holding hands and I'll do the talking. Aang, your new name will be Lee so just go with it. I don't want to take the chance of them knowing your name if they ask for it." Sokka was rambling off about his plan to get in safely and only stopped to gesture for them to hold hands.

Aang held out his hand and Katara took it shyly, still missing his eyes. They liked each other, but it seemed to be oblivious to the other. "You two need to stand closer! You can't be married and happy and stand four feet away from each other! Make it convincing!" Sokka groaned at their incompetence.

"Well I was raised a monk, Sokka, it's a little weird for me!" Aang blushed even more to prove it. Sokka rolled his eyes at his excuse and motioned for them to move closer. Katara raised her eyes to meet Aang's. He was looking at her and smiled gently. She moved closer to his side and wrapped her other arm around Aang's. "And I think I should be the one to do the talking. No offense Sokka but your mouth can really get us in trouble."

"That's much better and I guess I'll let you do the talking this one time!" Sokka reasoned. And with that, they made their way down to the gates of Omashu where two guards were patrolling. Katara managed to keep a straight face. To say she was embarrassed was the understatement of the year. Just a few days ago, she was all over Aang to chase some girl away but now she couldn't even be near him for their plan to succeed. Things were just incredibly awkward.

The path to Omashu was just a narrow bridge of rock to the city. The city and bridge were raised up extremely high and Sokka couldn't look down to judge the distance. All he knew was that it was a long drop.

"State your business in Omashu!" The guard on the left demanded. He was a sturdy looking man in a green uniform. His shoulders were squared and he stood proud. The guard on the right was a spitting image of him.

"My wife," Aang stumbled a bit on the word, "My brother-in-law and I are travelers and we need to go into the city for the night to rest and gather supplies." Aang gestured to each person as he introduced them. Aang looked at Katara, who for some reason had a small smile on her lips.

"Yes," she spoke still clinging to Aang's arm and hand, "it would be really appreciated if we could enter in for the night." Katara beamed at them with a smile that made Aang stare openly. The guards looked at each other and they didn't look amused. I fact, it looked like they wanted to earthbend them all the way back to Omashu, "I would assume you have enough room for the four of us."

"Four?" the guard on the right asked this time. He raised his eyebrow in suspicion, "I only see three."

Katara's smile didn't waver, "Of course you only see three. It's because I'm pregnant, only about a month and a half." Katara looked up to Aang with a big smile and Aang regained composure. He was surprised she could lie so well right on the spot.

"Well, if you're pregnant…we can't just leave you out here…." The guard on the left scratched his chin, "You and your husband may enter in, but your brother, he looks like a rotten one." The guard pointed to Sokka who was standing behind Aang and Katara. He was also in awe of Katara's lying skills.

"I will watch out for him," Aang nodded to the guards, "He is here to help me with my pregnant wife. I don't want anything to happen to her if I have to go out for a minute." Katara grinned to herself. Even if it was all fake, Aang was still sweet.

"Very well, you three may enter," the guards opened the gates with earthbending and let them into the city of Omashu. Aang let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He had never been a fan of guards, especially the mean looking ones.

"Pregnant? Really, that's the first thing that crossed your mind?" Sokka threw up his hands and we walked around the city, looking for lodging and food. People here were nice but water tribe money wasn't high on their list of currency.

Katara's face grew red but it was more from anger than from embarrassment, "Who would turn down someone who is supposed to be pregnant? It was a sure way to get us in." Katara found a fruit stand and picked up some more fruit.

"She's right, Sokka, and the only reason we need to come here is because you ate all of the food last night. And it's not like she really is pregnant." Aang said. Katara never let go of his hand and she was dragging him behind her. He didn't object since he rather be around Katara than Sokka right now since he was mad at him.

Sokka stopped dead in his tracks. He obviously didn't even think of that before, "You aren't, are you?" he gaped. He pointed between her and Aang and was trying to form words but couldn't. Sokka was unbelievable stupid. It was his idea after all for them to be the fake couple.

"No Sokka, I'm not." Katara huffed. She went back to looking for decent fruit. She knew Aang didn't eat meat which was a shame because jerky would last longer than fresh fruit. "That was just a part of the plan to get us in." Aang fidgeted and avoided looking at either of them. He only acknowledged Katara when he had to point out a good fruit he noticed.

Sokka didn't say anything after for a while. Aang had hoped he let the whole thing blow over. After all, he just accused them of…doing stuff that leads to babies. He had only known them for a little over a week and this was already a problem.

They were walking uphill to a lodge someone told them about earlier. They really didn't have the time to rest but Appa was exhausted from all the traveling. Rest was the only available option.

"Just to make things clear," Sokka stopped in front of them, "You cannot share a room or a bed, even if you are _married._" He crossed his arms to show he was completely serious. His blue eyes narrowed at Aang. All of Aang's hopes of him dropping it went out the window.

"Sokka you have to think things through," Aang shook his head, "Neither of us was planning that." Aang blushed at the thought. Of course all this would happen with the first girl he had met his age. Things were always complicated for Aang.

Katara stood with her hand still clasped in Aang's. She was trying to ignore Sokka and his accusations. She was exhausted and just ready to go to sleep no matter whose room she was sharing. "How about we find a room with two beds, that way Aang and I can each have a bed."

Sokka stared at Katara, "What about me?" he had a pout on his face and his arms had come uncrossed.

Katara finally dropped Aang's hand to point at Sokka with another hand on her hip, "You can sleep on the floor." Aang chuckled as Sokka had a spaz attack. He was yelling some unintelligible words and flailing his arms about.

Katara just watched with distaste. She really didn't enjoy her brother's company today and was glad she had the opportunity to return the favor. Her eye twitched as he moved closer to yell more in her face. She took a step back and ran into a random person. The man pushed her away in surprise and Katara was sent flying into a moving mail cart.

"Katara!" Aang and Sokka screamed at the same time. Aang looked at Sokka. He knew Sokka wasn't going to do a thing so he jumped down raced for the cart. His staff would hopefully save them both.

He followed Katara's screaming down the slope and he used his airbending to run faster. Then he saw her. She was gripping onto the empty cart with both hands and screaming. Her braid had come undone and her hair was flying around madly. He airbended himself into the cart behind her, "Hold on!"

Katara was already gripped the cart with all her might. Her knuckles were white and her hair was stinging her face. She had never been so happy to hear Aang's voice.

Aang airbended the cart so that it would slow down but their momentum was too great. Even his master airbending wasn't enough to slow it down. He looked around for something to help. There was a less steep railing beside them. The one they were on was almost an eight-five degree drop and the other looked more like fifty degrees. Jumping over would be dangerous but so would be staying on this course. "I've done this before with a friend of mine! So don't freak out!" the last time he tried it, Bumi earthbended them but Aang couldn't earthbend yet. He had to take his chances to save both him and Katara.

He bended air beneath them, hopefully at the perfect angle and pushed them into the rail beside them. The cart flew up and landed roughly on a rooftop. Aang overshot his distance and they were flying through the city rooftops.

They flew off onto the rooftop below them and Katara was thrown back into Aang. He wrapped an arm around her waist and airbended the cart to the next roof. "We have to jump off!" he yelled above the wind and grinding of rock against rock.

"What? Are you crazy?" She yelled back. Aang couldn't see her face but he was sure it was fear stricken. He tightened his arm around her and pulled them up slightly. This was going to be hard. He had never ridden two people on his glider.

"Just trust me," He said. He looked around; the building they were about to land on was low so it would give him enough time to get them on his glider. "Turn around!" She instantly obeyed and she wrapped her arms around his waist. His arm that wasn't wrapped around Katara extended his glider away from his body. "On three, jump."

He pulled them up into a crouching position, which was very difficult given their position, "One…two…three!" They both jump and he opened his glider. She had a tight grip on him but he still hesitated a moment before pulling his other hand up to the glider. She held fast as he glided above the green toped buildings. The cart they were just in crashed into a cabbage cart and Aang was glad he wasn't there to face those consequences because the cabbage merchant was yelling curses up to them and waving his fist. But he had another one to face: The guards saw them flying and only airbenders could fly and the Avatar was the last airbender. He blew his disguise saving Katara.

"This is going to be a rough landing!" He warned her as he started a slow descent. Normally he could land with the grace but it would be a challenge supporting someone else. He had never tried it before much less with guards chasing him down. They started throwing rocks and Aang was trying desperately to avoid them.

"I kind of figured that!" Katara responded with her head on Aang's chest. Katara wasn't exactly enjoying her first gliding experience, even if it was with Aang. The wind was already rocking them not so gently from Aang's lack of concentration. Flying rocks can really complicate things.

Aang saw an alley way. He knew they could make a get a way if they hid. The only problem was getting down there safely. The guards were following them on the roof tops and everything was on a slope. If he could disappear a few seconds ahead of them, they could be gone. Stealing those few seconds would be hard with a passenger.

The guards were stepping over the peak of a rooftop and Aang plummeted to the alley way before they could see him. Hopefully the rooftops were shielding him and Katara.

His concentration was horrible from all the panic and they both landed on the ground with a thump. Aang groaned and rubbed the back of his head. Katara was five feet away doing the same. Her dark brown hair was blowing free from her braid and she looked wild yet beautiful. Aang shook it off realizing they had more important things to focus on, like staying away from these guards.

Aang got up and offered Katara his hand that wasn't holding his closed glider, "Sorry your first time flying with me was horrible." Katara blushed. She couldn't believe he said _first_ because that hinted that there would be more flights, "I'll have to learn to fly with you in case something like that happens again."

Katara nodded, "We should really try and find Sokka." They could both hear guards on the roofs around them. Even with most of the guards occupied, Sokka could really get himself in trouble. More trouble was something they didn't need at the moment.

Aang scoped the area out. He could see the alley way was interrupted by a road but started again after it. The roofs extended past the houses giving them decent cover. There were a few boxes in the alleys that could provide quick hiding spots if needed. "Follow me."

They moved gracefully down the alleys, making no noise and drawing no attention in the shadows. As they came to the road, they strolled out and blended in with the crowd and slipped into the next alley unnoticed. Things were going too well for them…

"They have to be somewhere!" three guards were standing on the other side of the alley to where they were heading. They hadn't noticed Aang or Katara yet but they had to act fast or they would.

Aang looked up and whispered, "I'm going to help you into that window and we'll hide in there until we find another way out." Katara looked at the open window and frowned. It wasn't a great plan. People could easily be in the house and they would alert the guards. But seeing as they were out of options, she went along with it.

Aang got down on one knee and held his hands together in front of him. Katara drew in a breath and gathered up her courage. She put a foot on Aang's hands and he pushed her up to the window before she could balance herself. She went flying through the window and landed with a crash against a table.

The guards looked into the alley and saw Aang throw Katara into the house and follow her up. The surrounded the house and Katara and Aang found themselves trapped. The house was very nice on the inside. The decorations were elegant and everything looked new. They gulped; they'd probably broke into a noble's house. That meant even more trouble. "Should we just give up? They have us surrounded and we're only digging ourselves into a deeper hole."

Aang sighed, "Maybe I could pull the whole Avatar thing, and maybe it could get us free." They both knew it wouldn't help. They walked out the door with hands held high in surrender.

"Your Majesty, these two crashed a mail cart into a cabbage merchant, resisted arrest, caused massive property damage and broke into a house," The guards shoved them to their knees in front of the king. Aang bowed his head in some respect but mostly out of shame. Katara held her head high and looked the king in the eye. "The boy is also an airbender, most likely the long lost Avatar."

Aang gulped. This was going horridly. "An airbender, eh?" Aang paused his thoughts. Something about his voice seemed familiar. Aang looked up in curiosity; the man strongly resembled someone but he couldn't place it. His eyes weren't even, his back was hunched and he was dressed in green royal clothes. But his voice stuck out the most; it was…strange and not many people could have one much like it. It was impossible to explain.

"Yes, your Majesty, we saw him gliding," the guard held up Aang's staff as proof. Even if it were closed, you could tell it wasn't just a staff. Aang took in a few rapid breaths. Things were looking even worse for him and Katara.

"Your Majesty, if I may…I was accidently pushed into the mail cart and he was just trying to save me," Katara interrupted confidently. Aang glanced over at her. Her hair was still flowing around her face and her clothes were dirty but her face held a confidence Aang was lacking at the moment.

The kind just laughed and snorted. Katara looked puzzled. Was this man insane? She looked at the guards behind her. They looked as if this was a normal occurrence. She averted her eyes towards Aang though he did not meet her eyes.

Aang was staring at the king with disbelief. He couldn't be the person he took him for. It had been far too long…he couldn't be alive. But his curiosity got the better of him, "Bumi?"

The king stopped laughing and studied Aang. He waved his hand and the guards moved to the corners of the room. The king stood up and walked until he was in front of Aang. "I am finally older than you, Aang!" Bumi threw his head back and snorted with laughter. Katara didn't know what the spirits was going on but Aang did.

He stood up and laughed with Bumi, "I think I like being younger because you look really old…oh and this is Katara!" Aang helped Katara up and Bumi smiled at her.

"Aang always had a great taste in friends! Look at me, I'm proof!" Bumi shook with more maniac laughter and Katara tried to make her smile look convincing but she was pretty nervous. Aang just smiled apologetically to her.

"Since you two already experienced the best part of the city, I guess I can show you the next best part, the feast!" if riding a mail cart was his idea of the best part of the city, Katara wasn't sure if she wanted to see the feast…

The three of them spent the evening at the feast. Aang and Bumi caught up on things (Aang didn't have many stories to tell) and Katara found that even if Bumi was crazy and one hundred and twelve, he was pretty fun company. Katara felt bad Sokka wasn't with them to enjoy the meat and wide variety of deserts but she quickly got over it when Aang told another joke. Aang had the kind of laughter that could make you forget your troubles and laugh along. Even his presence made things more lively.

"An old man needs his rest, so my guards shall show you to your room, off you go!" he stood up and walked out the door with more laughter before either could say goodnight.

The guards walked them down the halls, "Did he say 'room'?" Katara looked nervously at the guards. They looked the same as any other guard around the city but still intimidating. The only difference in this guard was a scar he had over his eye.

"Yes, but it has two beds," he grumbled as he pointed to their room, "Stay there until morning. The king wishes to speak to the Avatar before you leave." The guard walked away leaving them to their room.

Katara laid down on the nearest bed and kicked off her shoes. The room was decorated green as the rest of the castle but less extravagant. Green flags bearing the nation emblem hung on the walls and the bedspreads the same. There were two beds as promised and they were side by side with five feet of space between. Aang laid down in his bed and sighed.

"I hope Sokka is okay," Katara said rolling to her side to face Aang. His eyes were closed and he looked exhausted.

He pulled his shirt off and examined a cut on his side. A rock must've scraped him earlier. But Katara's eyes wandered up his chest and down his stomach. He was very well built. Katara shook her head clear of those thoughts as he spoke, "I'm sure he's okay. He probably found some girl to bother knowing him. We will find him in the morning. I promise."

Katara nodded and pulled the blanket over her. Even if the circumstances weren't in their favor, a comfortable bed really made things more tolerable.

Sokka hid behind a bush. He had lost Katara and Aang hours ago after the mail cart incident. He didn't have any money since Katara didn't trust him with it, he was alone and he was lost. No one would give him directions or spare change. He had been wandering around for hours until, "Did you hear? The Avatar was caught earlier and brought to the King!"

The two guards were walking away so Sokka missed whatever he had to say next, but he had heard enough. His sister was in trouble. And Aang too, all he was doing was saving her! Sokka managed to navigate his way through the city and find the castle. But it was only by pure luck.

Now he was behind a bush below a window. Some guards had just passed and now everything looked clear. He jumped into the window and landed on a green rug that covered the center of the floor all down the hallway. He looked both directions and saw no guards. Now all he had to decide was which way to go. Neither seemed better than the other so he chose the right simply because he was right handed. Clearly, he had no other reasoning to argue with.

He walked quickly down the hallway. He wasn't near as graceful as Katara or Aang and was making a lot of noise. His feet pounded on the floor and the sound echoed throughout the hall. He grimaced with each step. "ugh!" he ran into a vase on a pedestal. He tried to catch it but it shattered on the ground making an ear piercing crack. He scrambled back up and sprinted down the hall away from the coming footsteps.

The hallway extended forever and only held one door in sight. He took his chances and opened it. He dashed in and closed it behind him. Maybe the guards wouldn't find him in here.

"What are you doing in my room?"

Aang and Katara followed the guard down to some weird chamber. They hadn't seen Bumi all morning and really needed to get Sokka wherever he was. "His Majesty is dealing with an intruder at the moment but he said you could join him in the arena if you wish." They both nodded. They were eager to leave and find Katara's brother before he could get into too much trouble.

"Oh come on I didn't mean to!" Someone cried from behind the door. Katara looked at Aang in surprise…that voice sounded like Sokka's! They ran through the door and found guards forcing a ring onto Sokka's finger. He was thrashing around and screaming, "I'm with the Avatar!"

"Hahaha, well he is here now!" Bumi clapped with laughter, "One for the young lady too!" the guard pulled Katara towards Sokka and slipped a ring onto her finger as well.

"Bumi, what are you doing?" Aang asked as he stood by himself across the arena. The pit below him held some rocks, vegetation, and one bunny.

"Just a little game," Bumi laughed, "Your friend caused some trouble last night and punishment must be served somehow! And what better of a punishment than physical!"

Aang looked appalled, "Can't you just put two rings on Sokka?" Sokka shouted from across the room but Bumi just shook his head. Aang was being perfectly serious. Sokka did…well whatever Sokka did, and deserved the punishment.

"I seemed to have lost Flopsy and I need you to find her down there!" Bumi said sadly, changing the subject. Aang looked over at Katara and Sokka. The rings were Tenemite! The crystal was already creeping up their hands. He had to move fast.

"And then you'll remove the creeping crystal and let us go?" Aang asked. Bumi nodded and allowed Aang into the pit. The bunny was sitting on a rock and Aang started to slowly walk towards it. The bunny had abnormally large ears and they picked up on Aang's movements quickly.

The rabbit hopped off the rock and bounded to the other side of the arena. Aang began to sprint towards the rabbit, avoiding all the boulders, "Come back Flopsy!" There was a large rumble and a giant creature bounded into the pit. It looked like a rabbit only larger with tusks. Aang had no name for it, only: danger.

He ran faster hoping to catch the bunny before the large monster ate him. Funny, he was in the same position days ago… "Flopsy come back!" Aang dove for the bunny but he slipped into the hole he must've called home, away from Aang.

The beast was running to Aang and he jumped to ride him like Appa, on the head. The creature ran in a circle a few times then stopped. Aang let out a sigh of relief but then the monster rolled over on top of Aang. But the weirdest part was, the animal seemed happy. Maybe he was just happy to be crushing Aang. Wait… "Flopsy?" the animal jumped off Aang and wagged its tail. The thing he was running from was the thing he was looking for the whole time.

"No one ever solved this one!" Bumi complained as Flopsy jumped up to Bumi to be petted. Bumi obliged and laughed as Flopsy rolled onto her back in content. "But I guess your friends are lucky you didn't die!" he broke the crystal off of them. "Normally I would give you three tests but there are mail carts to be ridden and tenemite to be eaten, so you can go!" Bumi snorted again and Aang just shook his head. This was the same person he had become friends with all those years ago.

"Aang, you need to get to the North Pole and train," The king said seriously. His eyes still held the strange quality he was accustomed to but his voice was toned down, "Once you learn waterbending with your friend here, you can continue your journey."

Aang nodded and bowed, "Thank you, Bumi." Aang stood up straight to look at his friend again, "Next time I see you, please don't try to kill me and my friends."

Bumi shook with laughter, "Ah where is the fun in that?" Katara smiled the two friends and elbowed Sokka who has looking around, completely uninterested. He really needs to grow a heart. Maybe girls would like him better then.

"Bumi, you're crazy."

**Not the best, I know, but I had absolutely no ideas for this chapter. I wasn't a big fan of the episode so it made it even harder. But if y'all have any ideas or suggestions, I would be glad to hear them! Thanks for reading! Oh, and thanks in advance for reviews! They make my day!**


	5. Imprisoned

**I had to sneak away to write this chapter also, but don't tell my parents because broke my laptop and I'm borrowing theirs…shh! Anyway, in my last chapter I failed to mention that "Can't you put two rings on Sokka?" came from the Avatar Abridged series on Youtube. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. It's funny as hell. Also, props to my anonymous reviewer Jay who gave me the great idea of making Toph older for a love interest, she may not end up with Zuko but things will be a lot different. So on with yet another filler chapter? Yeah I hate them too. **

"I think that's everything," Katara informed Aang as she loaded the last sleeping bag onto Appa's saddle. Aang was putting out their small camp fire from the night before while Momo danced around him. Momo was probably just desperate for some food that Sokka ate without sharing with him.

"Everything's good here too," Aang replied after airbending the fire out. He brushed some dirt off his pants as he stood back up. They had cleaned the entire camp this morning without any help from Sokka. They normally divided the responsibilities up amongst them evenly to make things go faster but Sokka had other ideas this morning.

Early that morning, Sokka had disappeared looking for food. Katara didn't really know what to make of her brother sometimes. They were traveling across the world with the Avatar himself and his mind was solely on food.

"We are going to be broke before we reach the North Pole, Sokka can't hunt and he's eating way too much," Katara sighed. She settled herself on the cool ground to await Sokka's return. "We can't afford to keep buying food for him. And we aren't eating much ourselves."

Aang sat next to Katara. The clearing they were on was naturally raised off the rest of the ground and surrounded by trees. There was even a small stream running a few feet from camp. They had been extremely lucky to such a secluded spot with water. Recently, word had gotten out about Aang's existence and the fire nation was on high alert. It made it dangerous to go into towns for long periods of time. It was a risk none of them wanted to take.

"Don't worry so much," Aang told her with his signature grin. "I'm from the nomads. They didn't focus on money but they found food and survived while traveling. Nomads were really simple people and didn't need to focus on worldly things like money." Aang felt nostalgic for something he never had. Many nomads traveled abroad and had amazing stories but Aang never got the chance to travel like them. He was forced to train all the time and traveling was out of the question.

Katara looked impressed. Everything in the world around them seemed to be built on possessions and money. She thought a life of travel would be nice. You only focused on living, not having things. Even in the South Pole, their simple life revolved around what you could hunt. Whoever had the biggest game became someone important. Nomads didn't need competition like that. It must have been a great life.

"So you'll survive, Nomad," Katara laughed, "I guess that means Sokka would be the first one to go. I should have seen that one coming." Aang shook his head with laughter at Katara's bluntness.

"I'm sure I could keep you two from starving. I'm probably a better gatherer than  
Sokka, though I doubt he would willingly eat anything but meat." Aang smiled proudly, "I am the Avatar, I could get us food with my Avatar charm. Who could turn that down?"

Katara chuckled, "Avatar charm?" Aang nodded seriously. "Well let's see it, Mr. Avatar!" Katara waved her hand signaling him to continue. She couldn't wait to see this.

Aang cleared his throat and then paused dramatically. He moved to his knees in a blink of an eye and his eyes seemed to double in size. He clasped his hands together beneath his chin and put on the most innocent look she had ever seen, "Please give me some food! I'm the Avatar, _please!_" Katara laughed as Aang begged. She had to admit he was pretty cute…

"I thought you were supposed to charm me, not beg!" Katara patted Aang's bald head and he grimaced. "It wasn't very convincing, sorry Mr. Avatar."

"Well, I thought it was pretty good, for Aang," Sokka walked into the clearing with a full bag about the size of his head, "but I don't need to beg for food. I'm man enough to go find it myself!" He sat down next to Katara and Aang got off his knees, excited to see what the 'man' of the group found to eat.

Sokka opened his bag to show Aang and Katara his findings he spent all morning gathering, "Nuts?" Katara asked. Sokka had spent hours collecting and all he could manage to get was a bag full of nuts.

"Actually," Aang reached into the bag and pulled something out, "I think this one is a rock." Aang and Katara laughed as Sokka attempted to defend himself. But his defenses were about as good as Aang's 'Avatar charm'. His best excuse was that this was 'unfamiliar terrain'.

"Next time you can find your own…" *Boom!* "What was that?" Sokka jumped up and yelled trying to shield his head with his arms. Everything seemed to vibrate for a moment.

"Let's go find out!" Aang jumped up a pointed, "It sounded like it came from over there!" Aang ran off in that direction and Katara quickly followed behind leaving Sokka alone.

"Are you two crazy?" Sokka demanded attempting to catch up, "You ran _away_ from big booms!" Just to prove his point further, another boom sounded. He turned around the Appa, "Stay here!" Appa roared in understanding.

Aang came to a stop behind some boulders. Below him, there was a sort of trench with shattered rocks. In the middle of all of that, there was someone around his age earthbeding. With each move, Aang could see the strain of a struggling bender in learning but determination.

Katara came up behind Aang. She was only a few seconds behind him. She lowered herself next to Aang to get a view of what was going on below. "It's a guy!" Katara said excitedly, putting a hand on Aang's shoulder and shaking him lightly.

Aang looked over at her and his voice came out a whisper not much louder than hers. "You didn't sound that excited when you found me!" and pointed out the obvious, "I'm a guy!" Katara blushed. She didn't need a reminder.

"I was distracted when I found you," she hissed. Sokka came up last, panting and collapsing next to Aang's other side. They watched the earthbender a few more moments, trying to decide what to do. "Should we go talk to him?" After all, it was weird to watch someone so intently.

"No," Aang shook his head at her suggestion, "We need to leave. He's not a threat to us. Besides, do you really want him to find out we've been watching him for the past ten minutes?"

"But he can give us dinner!" Sokka said throwing a pebble at Aang's head. He clenched his stomach as it gurgled in hunger. Sokka looked at Aang pleading. Katara turned her attention to the earthbender, she didn't want to get involved in one of their petty arguments.

"What happened to being manly and getting your own food?" Aang threw the pebble back with more force. Sokka rubbed the red spot on his temple. He didn't seem too pleased that he got hit with a rock and had his own words used against him.

Katara looked away from the earthbender to agree with Aang but something else caught her eye: a flash of red in the distance. At the moment, no flowers were blooming and there were no trees with red leaves. The only logical explanation was fire nation soldiers.

"Aang," Katara took her hand off his shoulder to point in the direction where she saw the flash of red. And sure enough, it was still there; it was five soldiers. They were moving very slowly and quietly. They were advancing on their position…no, they were heading towards the earthbender! "We have to warn him!"

"Why?" Sokka exclaimed in a whisper, "He's on his own. We have to get Aang out of here. He can't be seen or caught." Aang looked at the earthbender debating on his options. The soldiers were moving slow enough so that they had about five minutes before things became urgent. The bender was still practicing and hadn't noticed the soldiers approaching.

"Nothing good comes with the fire nation, there's a reason why they are coming for him and something tells him it won't be good for him," Aang closed his eyes and sighed, coming to a conclusion, "I'm the Avatar and it's my duty to help people before myself."

Katara studied Aang's face. He had become unnaturally serious and he looked years beyond his age. He interrupted her thoughts when he grabbed her arm after handing her his staff and grabbed Sokka's arm too. He airbended them soundlessly into the trench while the bender had his back turned. He dragged them both behind some boulders closest to the bender.

The three of them crouched down and began to plan this out. "I need you to go up to him," he pointed to the bender in green, "put your hand over his mouth and hold his arms to his body. I don't want him to scream or try to bend at you. That would just alert the soldiers to move faster and capture the both of you. You'll only have a moment before he breaks free so tell him and fast. You have to be quick."

He urged Katara to go, "Why don't you go?" she handed him his glider back.

Aang shook his head, "A guy is threatening, but a girl with a nice voice won't set him off as fast. You'll be more believable. He will trust you before he trusts me! Now go!" Katara missed his compliment on her voice since she was being rushed.

Katara grimaced at Aang but followed his orders. She prepared herself to run. As soon as the bender finished his move, Katara launched herself over the rock and as soon as she hit the ground, she sprinted forward. She clasped her hand over his mouth and wrapped her other arm around his arms, pinning them to his midsection. She pulled him down slightly though he was struggling frantically and whispered, "Fire nation soldiers, up to the left, go!" he stopped struggling and broke free.

He turned to face her as Aang and Sokka ran up behind her. "We have to go now," Aang whispered. Sokka was still panting but kept up with Aang.

The bender nodded, "Follow me, I can get us out of here fast to my village. It's safer than the woods." Aang thought back to Appa who was still at their camp. He couldn't just leave him, but he had to. In the chaos of it all, he chose to follow the stranger. It never occurred to the three of them to escape on Appa.

….

They ran the whole way back to town. Aang ran behind them to airbend their tracks away though it seemed obvious they were heading for the village. Fire had been thrown at them once while they were escaping the trench, but never again. That seemed to be a good sign to Aang.

They crossed into the village and everyone but Aang struggled to catch their breath. "I have to go back," Aang told them. He didn't sound winded at all, "Appa's back there and so are our belongings. I can fly there in no time."

"You two can stay here until he comes back," the bender offered, "I'm Haru by the way." Haru dressed in the traditional green color of the earth kingdom. He had long hair and had bangs held back by a green headband. He was built sturdily as any earthbender and was handsome by any standards. Despite his strong appearance, his voice was soft and not very deep.

"Aang," he introduced himself, "That's Sokka and Katara. That sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the offer." Aang smiled genuinely at Haru's hospitality. Aang was glad he chose to help him escape from those soldiers.

Katara caught her breath and turned to Aang, "You can't go alone! I'll fly with you, I've done it before," Katara had always been rather motherly towards Sokka but now that as extending to Aang. He didn't know if that was a good sign for him or what.

"It'll be safer if I go alone," Aang reasoned with her. Haru was watching the two argue. With each reply, they moved closer and Katara's voice hitched in volume. Haru decided not to intervene in their argument. It seemed like they did things like this often.

"You could get captured!" Katara was half yelling now, "We wouldn't know where to find you and then what Aang?" Katara jabbed her finger at Aang's chest but he didn't flinch.

His grey eyes were usually gentle and enticing, but now they were hard and icy. "I'm trying to do what is best for you and Sokka," His voice had never wavered or rose. Aang wasn't one to get angry fast but he was edging towards it.

Sokka took a small step forward to Aang, "Just let her go with you, she will only nag you for weeks if you don't." He looked at Katara letting her know she owed him, "You two work together really well anyway. You'll have each other to keep safe."

Aang blinked and began to stare at Sokka. He was never one for reason but at that moment, Aang could see him as a normal person capable of logic. It stunned him. "Okay then." Aang opened his glider and positioned it on his back then bent down. "It'll be easier if you ride on the top."

Katara nodded and positioned herself on the glider. It wasn't as awkward as wrapping herself around him but it didn't feel comfortable. She gripped the bar and placed her hands beside Aang's so that they barely touched. Her legs couldn't reach the bottom by Aang's so she tried to support them against the glider with her knees. The thin wood staff was the only thing separating their bodies. Katara still found it awkward and blushed.

"Be mindful of Sokka, he attracts trouble, a lot," Aang nodded to Haru and kicked off the ground before Haru could respond or ask otherwise.

Haru laughed at Aang's comment until, "He was being serious." Sokka shifted uncomfortably. Sokka looked at the town around him. It was a small village. It almost reminded him of Kyoshi Island. "So, are we just going to stand here?"

Haru shrugged, "We can go to my house, I'm sure my mom has been cooking…" Sokka nodded his head frantically as if to agree. Haru turned away from him and walked through the town he had known his whole life. "So, you're from the Water Tribe." Sokka nodded. He had already lost interest in the conversation. He was only interested in eating now. "And the girl, Katara, is your sister?"

Sokka glanced sideways at Hara. They were about the same height, Haru being a bit taller. Hara seemed like an okay guy. "Yeah, but don't waste your time." Sokka thought about the way Katara acted around Aang. He couldn't let her accidently lead Haru on and risk a future meal from him, "She's all into Aang, he is the Avatar after all."

Haru stopped in his tracks. He thought he misheard Sokka, "Aang is the Avatar? But he can't be any older than I am." Hara thought Aang was just an airbender who was in hiding after all those years. That would explain why he was in such a hurry to get away from the soldiers, but the Avatar?

"Yeah, I didn't know it either until after I banished him from the South Pole, Katara almost left with him too," Sokka still wasn't very into the conversation. If food was in close proximity, he wanted to get to it as soon as possible. But he figured talking to the guy wouldn't be so bad. Maybe if he knew Sokka and the Avatar were close friends, he would give him even more food!

Haru eyes widen, "Wow." Hara thought to Katara. She was very pretty, even beautiful by some standards. It didn't surprise Haru that Katara had a thing for Aang. Didn't all pretty girls think they deserved the best? Though, Katara didn't seem like that type. He had known her for a short amount of time and could sense something about her. She seemed rather strong for a girl, considering she could take hold of him like that earlier and he couldn't see her like most girls. She stood for herself. Haru could tell that much. He could also by the looks of Sokka, they wouldn't have any more food in his house by the time Aang and Katara got back. He sighed and walked into his house, preparing to watch all of his food go away. His poor mother cooked all day today just to feed the Avatar's friend.

…

The wind buzzed in Katara's ears. Now that she had been prepared for the flight, it had been much more enjoyable. A weight seemed to lift off her shoulders when they flew. It was relaxing and peaceful but it was also exciting. She couldn't get over the sensation. She scanned the trees and was perplexed by the sight of flying above them. She was so enticed that she almost forgot the problem at hand: Appa.

Katara knew it was quicker to fly but she couldn't shake the notion that they were being followed because of it. The trees had pretty dense coverings but there were still holes that could give them away. Aang didn't want to fly through the clouds since it would be hard to see Appa so they were even more vunerable.

"There's the clearing!" Aang shouted above the wind. They had been flying only a few minutes and were covering ground at a good pace. Aang was able to remember what direction they came from earlier so it made finding their camp by air easy.

He glided gently down to the clearing. It had been much easier to navigate on his glider this time and he felt much more confident. The last time they tried this…it didn't go so well. He landed lightly on the ground and was pretty proud of his flying skills. Katara didn't even fall off like he had expected. That wouldn't be very fun to explain to Sokka…

Katara climbed off the glider and stood next to Aang. He closed his glider and looked around their abandoned camp and at the edge of it laid Appa. "Hey buddy!" Aang bounded over to him. It seemed as if he just woke up. He growled and stretched.

"Seize the Avatar!" A voice cried from the trees. Ten soldiers dropped from the branches and surrounded Aang, Katara and Appa. Momo ran over and stood in front of Aang.

Katara and Aang were back to back and Appa was on the side of them. The soldiers hesitated a moment sizing up the situation and the charged. They all appeared to be firebenders since they wielded no weapons.

"Ah!" Aang used his staff to deflect a wall of fire and sent it back to the soldier. He stumbled but was joined by two more benders. Aang was outnumbered but he was sure he could handle them. One moved forward and Aang flipped over him and kicked him in the back, sending him to the ground. The other two looked at each other and charged at the same time. Aang ducked to the ground and spun on one hand, sending a current of air to trip them at their feet. It succeeded and Aang used the man's rope (probably to be used to tie Aang up) and tied to two men together, back to back.

Katara looked at the three men around her. She didn't know near enough waterbending to challenge them so she had to be quick on her wits. The men made a triangle to surround her so she could use two of them to knock each other out if her timing was perfect. But timing wasn't on her side. The man who wasn't opposite of someone bended at her. She moved out the way easily by getting close to the ground. There was a stick on the ground….she moved lower to pick it up. It had a bit of weight to it and was more like a small branch. The soldier closest to her went to bend but she jabbed the branched at him and it caught him dead in the gut. He fell over and tried to catch his breath.

The next one charged with the other not far behind him. She swung the branch sideways at his knees and immobilized him. Unfortunately, that broke the branch in half and it was no longer of use to her so she threw it aside. The last soldier was almost to her and she had no idea what to do. He was about two feet away and cocked his leg back, ready to kick it her way and send a jet of fire from his foot. She dived to the ground and took out his leg anchored to the ground. It sent him flying forward into the soldier she hit in the stomach who had just recovered. The both flew into a tree, unconscious.

Even Appa did his share of the fighting. As two men charged Aang from behind, he flapped his large tail and sent the two men into a large boulder. Needless to say, they didn't get back up any time soon. Momo distracted the last man by twisting his helmet around and punching his tiny fist into his cheek. Aang took it from there by kicking him in the stomach.

"Come on!" Aang yelled to Katara who just got away from her three troops. She ran up to Appa and was helped up by Aang, "Yip yip!" Appa roared and ascended into the air.

They sat in the saddle taking in deep breaths trying to calm themselves. "It was a trap!" Katara hissed in a hoarse voice. She was jarred by the fight but recovering by the second. "They know who you are!"

Aang got up to his knees and moved his staff out of his lap. "Yeah, I could tell," he said finally looking over to her. She was covered in dirt and some of her hair came loose but she didn't look harmed, "Are you okay?"

Katara nodded sitting on her knees too, "Fine. How about you?"

Aang grinned a little in response, "Good thing you wanted to come along…" Katara couldn't bare it anymore. She moved over and practically tackled Aang in a hug. Their knees were touching slightly and his arms were around her just like her arms were around his neck.

"I told you so." She whispered into his ear. She could feel him nod his head. His chin rested on top of her head and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. She couldn't believe that if she hadn't been so persistent, she may have lost her best friend.

…..

"Haru, some strange bison is in our yard!" Haru's mother put a hand over her mouth. Today, Haru had disappeared, come back with a stranger and then the stranger proceeded to eat almost all their food. She couldn't turn down a hungry person but things were getting weirder by the minute.

"They're back," Sokka jumped up and ran out the door. Aang and Katara were climbing off Appa. They were moving kind of slow and were both dirty. "What happened?" Sokka demanded taking in Katara's appearance.

"Firebenders ambushed us at the clearing," Aang explained helping Katara down. She blushed but didn't tell him she could handle getting off Appa herself. "We had to fight off ten of them but we made it okay."

"They knew about Aang being the Avatar," Katara informed Sokka. Haru was walking up now standing in the small circle.

He looked at the two of them. They looked disheveled and dusty. He had just heard their explanation but couldn't believe it until he saw them. Katara's hair was sticking up in some places and her braid had come undone at the bottom. Her face was smudged with dirt and her dress the same. And yet, she still looked beautiful to Haru. But he stopped all thought of her when he thought back to Sokka's warning earlier.

"Were they after you too, Haru?" Katara asked fixing her hair as she talked, "They seemed ready to capture you today."

Haru scratched the back of his head nervously, "Well, earthbending is sort of…prohibited here. They must've been watching me for a while and known I'd been there today." They all looked confused so he continued, "The fire nation took over our mines and took all of the earthbenders away to a prison. My father was among them. Now, I use earthbending to remember him. It's like the only thing I have left of him. If I get caught, I'll go to prison."

"What if you get caught on purpose?" Aang asked. He had really been doing well with the ideas lately. Would one more really hurt?

"Why would I do that?" Haru asked. He couldn't think of one good reason to get caught. He would only end up in prison. Then there would be no hope at all for his town. He was one of the last earthbenders.

"To break everyone out of course," Aang said with a small laugh. It seemed so obvious to him and Sokka was catching on rather quickly as well as Katara.

"It wouldn't work," Haru shook his head and crossed his arms. His bangs hung in his face more than usual and his green eyes darkened, "It's rumored that the prison is surrounded by water."

Katara thought for a moment, "But the prisoners must outnumber the guards. And with a good plan, everyone could probably escape." Katara watched as Haru processed everything they were saying, but hope never crossed his mind. His eyes remained dark and lifeless.

"And I have the perfect plan!" Sokka sat them all down to explain it all. They all looked at each other with sly grins, even Haru. It was fool proof.

….

They stood outside the mines. The fire nation soldiers always patrolled here. The four of them waited for the next patrol to make their rounds. "Remember your part Aang?" Sokka asked as they waited behind the boulder. Haru and Katara were standing on the other side ready to put on their show. Aang nodded. He was nervous about it. He would rather Sokka be in her position. A lot of things could go wrong and he didn't want Katara in the middle of it. But he remained silent about it. If he told her, he was sure she would only get mad.

"Are you sure about this?" Haru asked one last time, "You already saved me once, you don't need to do it again." Katara nodded her head. She was nervous and didn't want her voice to betray her. Haru gave her a reassuring smile but she missed it, she was only watching the horizon for the soldiers to appear.

"There here!" Haru told them. Aang positioned himself over the air shaft. There was one just like it on the other side of the boulder.

The soldiers were close now, in earshot. "I told you to back off!" Katara yelled, "Or I'll show you!" Katara's voice wasn't entirely convincing but her stance and expression was. She looked ready to attack.

Haru laughed, "Like you could do anything, girl!" He took an earthbending stance and Katara mimicked. "I'll teach you!"

And with that, Haru bended some rock behind him and held them at the ready. At the same time, Aang airbended into the shaft and air blew into the adjoining one, sending the one rock above it into the air, feigning earthbending. Katara held her hands out like an earthbender and it looked very believable.

The soldiers had been watching the whole time and the captain finally recovered from the show, "Arrest the earthbenders!" Katara looked at Haru and nodded. They held their hands up in surrender.

….

"It really is surrounded by water." Haru shook his head and sighed, "What do we do now?" They were standing outside the courtyard where all the other prisoners were gathered.

"You heard Sokka," Katara turned to face him, "They followed us here and they'll be figuring something out in case your dad doesn't already have a plan."

Haru scanned the deck. He hadn't seen his dad in a long time, but he could still remember his face. He was sure he could pick him out of a crowd. "Let's hope one of them does or we'll be stuck here." He glanced at Katara, "You have a lot of faith in him, don't you?"

Katara nodded to him and they moved into the crowd. Most of them were sitting so Haru could examine the faces easily. He was only interested in the one. Katara felt out of place and uncomfortable but stayed close to Haru. She didn't want to look weak. She kept her strong face on and examined the prisoners.

"Haru?" An older man asked. He stood up slowly and studied him. Haru couldn't believe it. This man couldn't be his dad…he looked weak and frail.

"Dad?" Haru asked in a small voice. The man smiled and pulled him into a back breaking hug. The man gave a sort of laugh and Haru just smiled. He couldn't believe he had been reunited with his father. Even if it wasn't on good terms, it was great to see him again.

"Why are you here?" His father asked. Haru looked at him again. His hair was completely white now and as long as his. His beard had also grown a considerable amount. He was muscular when Haru last saw him but now, he looked smaller.

"It's a long story," Haru smiled. "This is Katara; she plays a big part of it. Katara this is my father, Tyro. Now about that story…"

Haru told his dad everything and Katara only interrupted a few times to add in details Haru overlooked. Tyro only nodded in some places and rubbed his chin in others. His mind seemed to be working on overdrive at the moment, analyzing each detail of their story.

"Do you have any escape plan?" Haru finally asked. Katara was sitting uncomfortably by his side. She was fidgeting under his father's glare. She couldn't determine whether it was good or bad.

"I admire you Katara, you have much courage," Tyro shook his head, contradicting his compliment, "But what you ask is impossible. There is no hope for us here." Tyro's eyes backed up everything he said. He was hopeless, or so he believed.

"But there is always hope! In my tribe we always heard stories of your people. We were told of how strong an unmovable you were! I was always told you were the greatest fighters and had the strongest will of all the nations. And here you are, sitting with your head hung like a pathetic animal! You can take your life back! You have the man power even without your bending. The Avatar is back and is ready to help you! What is stopping you?" She demanded. She was on the verge of yelling and her face was red. After all she did for these people, they had already given up and they were staying where they were. They were stubborn for all the wrong things.

"Logic stops us Katara. Now quiet yourself before you attract the guards." He went back to eating and his body language made it clear he wasn't going to hear any more on the subject. Katara sighed and pushed her food away. She was too angry to eat. She just wanted to get out of here now.

"There it is!" Aang said back to Sokka. He was riding in the saddle as usual but this time, he was actually doing something productive: thinking. The rumors were true; the whole prison was surrounded by crystal water.

They followed the ship by cloud cover and had finally reached the prison. It was a dark metal and smoke billowed from some pipes on the right side. He could see prisoners on the deck alone. They were all crowded into the small space.

Ships lined the prison; they were probably used to transport supplies and prisoners but could be used for escape. Aang made a mental note of that and made sure to tell Sokka. This plan had to go perfectly or he and the prisoners would face horrible consequences.

"That's a good idea, and see that smoke? There must be something to create it…maybe coal. It's bendable." Sokka pointed to the smoke cloud that was on the right side of the prison. "You need to steal a uniform and go scope the place out. Look for Katara but be subtle. Don't attract too much attention." Sokka knew he didn't have the stealth to sneak around and Aang could move fast. He didn't want to slow him down.

Aang nodded. The sun was setting and the dark would provide a great cover for him to sneak around. There were a few guards making rounds so it wouldn't be too hard to steal a uniform. "Wish me luck!" Aang told Sokka as he prepared to drop onto the balcony.

"You're the Avatar, do you really need luck?" Sokka laughed but Aang just hoped he didn't jinx him. He left his staff in the saddle and jumped to the railing. He used the air currents to slow himself down and landed gracefully on the rail and slipped into a dark corner.

A soldier was walking his way. Aang fingered the cloth in his hand. Sokka had cut it off his parka he wasn't using so it could be used as a gag. As he walked past Aang's hiding spot, he stepped out and gagged the guard, tying the cloth. He took his outer garments and knocked the man out. He shoved him in the corner he was hiding in previously and adjusted his helmet. Hopefully he wouldn't wake up too soon.

He walked down to the deck of the prison. He told Katara his signal was three sneezes. It was subtle but he doubted many people would do the same at the same time as him.

He stood on the walkway closest to the deck and sneezed three times. After a few minutes, one person stood up and made their way over to him. He withdrew into a secluded spot and waited for Katara to join him. He crouched down and waited.

"Aang?" someone whispered. He stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, dragging her into the hiding place. "Aang!" she whispered-yelled. She hugged him quickly and crouched down next to him. "We have to be quick. They have no plan. It's up to us." It certainly was not the news she hoped to deliver to him, but she was happy to see him regardless.

Aang nodded, "I expected that much. But we have a plan. There's coal on this ship and I'm about to find a way to get it on deck. Maybe this place has air shafts too. Anyway, when the coal gets there, you have to get them to act. They have to fight. Otherwise, we'll compromise ourselves for nothing."

Katara nodded. All she had to do was convince Tyro. He was the leader and could get the rest to follow. "I'll do what I can. I hope it's enough."

Aang smiled. "We always pull through. Just do what you have to and I'll pull my weight. Just be careful." He took her hand and squeezed it. "We'll be back tomorrow morning to put our plan into action you have until then."

She nodded again. Before she could lose her courage, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. She had done the same on Kyoshi Island but this was real and it felt different. "Be careful." Aang grinned and Katara left him there. She could really get used to doing that.

….

Aang found the guard he knocked out and threw him over his shoulder. He couldn't let him be discovered especially after what Aang just found out. The air vents were connected to the coal supply. There was hope for this plan because there was a vent that led straight to the deck. He closed off every vent but that one.

Sokka swooped down on Appa and Aang jumped down quietly. Sokka's eyes bulged at the sight of the guard but Aang waited to explain until they were a good distance away. They couldn't be compromised. They were a good distance from the ship yard now, "I couldn't let him alert everyone."

Aang took off the guard uniform and got back into his own clothes. "Good thinking. And from the look on your face, I'm assuming it's up to us now." Sokka observed. This was fine by him. If his plan succeeded, it would make him look good. They may even reward him with food!

"Yeah, so let's get to it. We have to be ready by morning."

…

The sun was just now rising along with the prisoners. Katara hadn't slept all night. She was too anxious. "Haru!" she whispered and poked his shoulder. He grumbled and pushed her away but she continued until he too arose.

"What?" he moaned rubbing his eyes. Yesterday was a long day for him and he didn't want the next one to start at sunrise

"They have a plan and we need to convince your dad. Now hurry!" she went looking for Tyro. He was making rounds to check on the prisoners. "We need to talk!" she told him. Haru was behind her nodding to his dad. He eyed the two suspiciously but agreed.

"Then let's sit," he gestured to the ground, "Now what are you concerns." His eyes were the same as yesterday. They were hopeless, dark and lifeless. It was heartbreaking to Katara.

"Aang has a plan but it won't work without you. They have coal!" Katara whispered excitedly. The old man raised his eyebrows. He knew what that meant. It meant he could bend. She told him about how Aang was going to send it to the deck for them to bend. They could take down the guards and escape on the ships docked below.

"How long until they put it all into action," Tyro finally asked. His eyes held something now. It wasn't hope but it seemed close. That was all she needed. All she needed was one person to start the revolt.

"Any minute. We just need to make sure everyone will join in. We need you and Haru to make the first moves. They will follow their leader." Katara explained. She was short on time. It was well into morning now and she was waiting now for coal to arrive. Knowing Aang, it would be sooner than later.

"I'm in," They both agreed. Katara smiled. Things were finally going the right way. She had finally broken through to Tyro. They had hope. All that was left was to put that hope into action.

Tyro spoke to a few others and they too were in on the plan. They were buzzing with excitement as was Katara. There was something about a looming battle that sent your adrenaline pumping. Katara was fidgeting and couldn't stop her racing mind.

Katara was sitting with Haru awaiting Aang's move. It was nerve racking. It was almost noon and no sign of Aang. She was now worried he had been captured after their meeting last night…

"Do you hear that?" Haru asked. And she did. It was a low rumbled. And soon enough, the deck began to shake. "its' time!"

The small group jumped up and sprang into action. Tyro's voice boomed above the rumbling, "It is time to take back our villages, my fellow earthbenders. It is time to fight for what is ours!" he pumped his fist into the air and many men stood, curious.

As the rumbling increased, so did his voice. And at the end of his speech, the coal broke from the vent, covering the deck with the black rock. It was amazing to watch as it fit perfectly into his speech. Maybe it was a sign fate was on their side.

"AHHH!" Tyro and his small group of benders took the coal and started attacking the guards on the deck. Haru went around inspiring other people to help. Katara had no idea what to do.

"Katara let's go! They have this!" Sokka grabbed her arm. He was ready to leave. They spent enough time helping them and they had a destination to reach. And the longer they were here, the more chance that Aang could be captured. A guard across from them was suddenly pelted by coal and he fell over, as if to just prove Sokka's point.

Everyone in the prison was fighting now and guards were dropping like flies. Katara felt like she should help but she had to put Aang first. He had to be safe and unseen. They couldn't be followed or suspected. It would only alert the guy with the scar.

Katara followed Sokka but something grabbed the collar of her neck and she felt something rip, possibly a bit of her clothing. She yelped and tried to face her attacker. Sokka turned and punched the guard in the face and grabbed Katara, "Aang is waiting, I promise they'll be ok. They can fight now!"

Katara looked over her shoulder at the fighting men and women. They over powered the guards easily. But something was missing and she could feel it. "Hurry!" she saw Appa over the edge and joined Aang on his head. Maybe Sokka was right….

"Katara!" Aang shouted from Appa's head. He had a smile on his face and was ready to take off. He had never been happier to see someone. She climbed onto Appa with Sokka and Aang sent them flying.

After Aang was sure they were safe and not being followed, he joined the two in the saddle. Katara looked troubled and Sokka looked like his usual self. Aang decided not to ask what was wrong with her since it was probably something to do with the prisoners. Katara had a really caring personality and Aang knew it would hurt her to leave the people before she was sure they were safe.

Katara stared at Aang. The midday sun was reflecting off his bald head, making his tattoo stand out more than usual. Aang always had this carefree look about him, more laid back than most people, yet so full of life. Just thinking about him put a smile on her face. She had been really happy to see him safe. She worried for him all night. He had a risky part in the plan.

"Katara, your necklace is gone…" Aang lifted his hand to touch the base of her neck where the necklace normally rested. She looked different without it on…almost like something was missing.

She shivered as he touched her and she prayed he didn't notice. "What?" she asked. She absentmindedly reached for the necklace on her neck and realized it was in dead not there. "It's gone!" she got to her knees and looked around the saddle for it.

"He just said that," Sokka pointed out, "Are you sure you didn't take it off before going to the prison?" Sokka knew what that necklace meant and if she lost it, he knew how it would devastate her.

"No, I always keep it on!" Katara said giving up her search. It was no where on Appa. She couldn't have lost that necklace…

"What's so important about it?" Aang asked. He grabbed her wrist to pull her down into a sitting position. He really didn't need her falling off Appa in her panic. And she was indeed panicked. Her eyes were wide and she was sweating. Her hands shook and her lips trembled.

"It was my mother's…before she died," Katara choked out. She sat as lifeless as a board next to Aang. "It was all I had left of her."

Aang looked at Sokka for a moment. He met his eyes. They were cold and distant. Aang felt horrible. It was his idea to break the people out of prison and now it was the reason she couldn't find her mother's necklace. Sokka tilted his head in her direction and Aang understood.

He pulled Katara into his arms. Her head rested on his chest and his face in her hair. She was crying softly. Aang could tell she was trying to be strong about it all and it upset him even more. "I'll find it for you. I promise."

….

Zuko walked onto the ship. It was rumored the Avatar caused the out burst and escape. He growled through clenched teeth. This had gone too far! The prisoners all broke free and stole the ships. Most guards were still out cold which sent Zuko into a bigger rage. They were pathetic.

He kicked some coal and sighed. He bent his head down trying to calm himself. The avatar was always ahead of him. He could never get the upper hand! It was maddening.

He looked down in annoyance but found something out of place. A blue necklace with one pendant. It looked familiar. He smiled and picked it up. It was his ticket to the Avatar, and he knew just what to do now.

He had bait.

**This is the edit version I promised. So review and tell me if it got any better or if I just wasted an hour fixing it….thanks for reading.**


	6. The Spirit World: The Winter Solstice P1

**My lovely grandpaw let me come to his house to use his computer so here I am! I edited the last chapter, so you might want to go read that first because I added a bit at the ending. And thanks for the 45 reviews already and the countless favorites and alerts! It's only been 5 chapters…I did not expect this story to do so well. And that brings me to my next point: I really need to thank God for my talents and the opportunity to post stuff on here that people actually read. I don't mean to offend anyone by that…I just needed to say it. So who's ready for something besides a filler chapter?**

Riding on Appa had really become a chore for the three young travelers. The sights were amazing, true, but it got old fast. Even each other's company had become a drag most of the time. Each of them had something to do to make it more bearable though. Sokka complained. Aang watched Katara and Katara watched the clouds. And this continued throughout the whole trip. No words were exchanged. No stares were met. None of them ever got tired of their past times, especially Aang.

Katara was leaning against the saddle, here arms looped through one of the holes. Her braid was flying with the wind and her face could only be described as content. At least, that was the only word Aang could come up with. Well, he could also call her beautiful….

"I wonder if you could lie on a cloud," Katara thought aloud. It seemed like an interesting thought. They seemed so fluffy and soft; she reasoned that it had to be better than the best fur pelt back home.

"I could try!" Aang jumped up with his staff. He stood on Appa's head looking for the best cloud to dive onto. There was one particularly fluffy one that stood out from the rest. He laughed as he dove to it.

Katara untangled herself from the saddle to watch his descent. He was spread eagle with his staff in one hand, laughing like crazy. She longed to do the same; she had really taken a liking to flying ever since Aang rescued her. Or maybe she had just taken a liking to being close to Aang.

Aang landed face first into the cloud and he braced for the worst. Sadly, he passed right through the cloud. He stopped laughing and opened his glider. That was a real buzz kill for him. He glided back to Appa and landed behind Katara. "Yeah, you can't lie on them." She looked disappointed but she kind of expected that.

He gestured to his soaking wet clothes and sat down. "They're just water…" he put his hands together and blew off all the water. He made sure not to get Katara wet, only Sokka. "So it didn't work."

Katara laughed as Sokka tried to dry himself. Of course, he wasn't doing a great job. Katara leaned back against the saddle and sighed, "Well now we know." She was happy something interesting happened. Katara was glad for Aang's willingness to do anything remotely fun.

Aang nodded. He was just happy he got to do something besides sit. He stood to walk back to Appa's head but stopped in his tracks. The green, lush forest was below them, but something was wrong with it. There was a large black spot in the middle of it, "What happened there?"

Sokka looked down at the forest, "Maybe a forest fire." He shrugged it off and turned back to dry himself off. Aang was pretty slow sometimes, he guessed. He groaned as his clothes stuck to him.

"Let's go down there to check it out," Katara said as she looked down at the burnt spot. It was like a scar to the forest. It was saddening. It was a beautiful forest.

Aang got down to steer and brought them gently down to the black spot in the forest. As they reached the ground, they saw Sokka was right; what caused it was some sort of forest fire. Aang leaped down onto the ground to observe the remains. All that was left was small trunk bases and charred rocks. It infuriated him. This couldn't be natural. It was too early in the year for forest fires.

Sokka walked around and studied the ground. Just like Aang, he knew it was too early for natural fires. There had to be some other cause…and he found it. There were tracks all over the ground. Foot prints of humans and rhinos. That only meant one thing, "Fire nation."

Aang sat on the charred ground and wallowed in his sorrow. It was the Avatar's job to protect nature and life. This was a prime example of how horribly he was doing his job. It was a slap in the face. It was another wake up call for Aang. "This is all my fault."

Sokka looked over at Aang. He felt bad for the guy. He wakes up from being stuck in an iceberg, finds out he's been gone for a hundred years, and finds all this. It must've been a lot to handle, "How? I just told you the fire nation did this!"

"It's my duty to protect nature and life, and they got away with it, they burned down all this land," Aang gestured around him. It was sickening that people were capable of this. It only showed Aang how much they needed to be stopped. He had only been seeing worse things from them.

Katara kneeled behind Aang. She put a hand on his tense shoulder and held out her hand in front of him. Aang turned his head to see what she held: an acorn. He raised his eyebrow at her; he really didn't understand how that helped anything. "Its hope Aang. The forest will grow back because of all these acorns." She took her hand off his shoulder to grab his hand. She opened it and sat the acorn in his palm. "You can't do everything, Aang. You just saved an entire village of people from imprisonment! You're only one person."

Aang sighed but didn't look up to meet her gaze. He didn't need this. He needed something done. He wanted justice. "But he is the Avatar…" Sokka called out from behind them. He loved to watch his sister's failed attempts at optimism. She grabbed another acorn off the ground and threw it at his head. "Hey!" He screamed, "That was a rock!" he rubbed his head and grumbled.

"Well you deserved it," she said simply turning back to Aang. He was staring off into the distance, not paying any attention to them. "No one is here to help you be the Avatar Aang; you're learning everything on your own. And I think you're doing a great job so far." She smiled as he turned to look at her.

"Let's just go find a village. I'm sure they're in need of some help if the fire nation was here." Katara sighed. And she thought she was hell bent on helping people. Aang hopped back onto Appa and waited for them to get on too. Katara grabbed Sokka's arm and dragged him back to Appa. Something told her the sooner they got to this village, the better.

….

"Here it is," Aang called back to them, "It doesn't look good either." He was right. Several buildings were damaged and some no more than piles of lumber. People seemed to be heading into one building.

Aang watched the people. They were moving with urgency. It was strange. He didn't seem any immediate threat. The only thing on the horizon was the setting sun... he flew Appa down to the building that the people were fleeing to. He ran to meet the man helping people in.

"Why you must be an airbender!" The man was older and the only hair he had on his head was a long beard that was thinning. "That's a flying bison! And….You must be the Avatar!" the old man was rambling with excitement and Aang was worried the poor guy was going to have a heart attack right there.

Katara and Sokka had made their way over to stand behind Aang. "He sure is," Sokka thumped Aang on the back. He wore a stupid smile and tried to stand as tall as Aang.

Aang rolled his eyes, "Yes I am. And by the looks of it…you need help with something, or someone." He nodded his head in the direction of people rushing into the large building.

"Yes, we have a problem," the old man sighed, "And I'm afraid you are the only person who can be of any help. We have a spirit attacking us, Hei Bai. He's been taking a villager every night." The old man was leaning on his cane and shaking. Aang helped support him and brought him inside. "And it gets worse; the winter solstice is coming up. The line between the spirit world and our world will be blurred. I fear he will use it to destroy us all." The man had to sit down with his last words.

"I'll do what I can," Aang told him and walked to the open window. He was going to have to face this spirit. The sages didn't explain this very much…

"What do we need to do?" Katara stood next to him. Neither of them looked at each other, just watched the city gates. Aang seemed really tense and Katara could sense it. It was radiating off him like heat.

"We? Katara, no offense, but this isn't really something you can help with. I am the bridge between the two worlds. I have to try and talk to this spirit. He may listen to me because I'm the Avatar. But if he's taking people, he could take you." He turned towards her to make sure she was listening, "You have to let me do this alone. Stay in here."

His voice was sharp and left no room for arguments. Katara sighed; she couldn't believe she couldn't help. They always fought together. She couldn't let him do this alone, "So you want me to sit here and do nothing?" Katara turned towards him too with her arms crossed and eyebrows knitted together.

He shrugged, "Sokka does it all the time!" He pointed to Sokka, who at the moment, was sitting on a mat eating some bread a lady gave to him. "See, he doesn't look too concerned." Aang smiled a little to relieve some tension but his attempt was futile. She face remained unchanged.

"Did you really just compare me to Sokka?" She asked in a low voice. Even though this really wasn't the time to be having these thoughts, she couldn't push them away. Did that mean he saw her as he saw Sokka? Just as a friend or sibling?

"Not in the strictest sense…" he trailed off and his voice hung in the air between them, "Look, just this once, listen to me!" His voice rose slightly and his fists clenched.

"What happened last time you wanted to go alone, Aang?" Katara reminded him. She put a hand on his arm. He closed his eyes and took in a few deep breaths. Katara thought he must be trying to calm down.

"This is different. It's Avatar stuff." He paused and looked around for Sokka. He found him and raised his voice so it would carry over to him, "Sokka make sure Katara doesn't go outside under any circumstances!" Sokka nodded with a full mouth and walked over to them.

"Come on sis, let Aang do his thing," he smiled, and let out a loud laugh, "that kind of rhymed!" he calmed himself and dragged Katara to the center of the room where the food was. Katara shot Aang a look but he didn't waver. He was the one in the right this time.

….

"Uncle!" Zuko shouted. He had been searching the woods all day with no sign of his uncle. He finally has something that the Avatar would want and the old man wants to run off and have 'Iroh Time'. His good eye twitched at the thought.

"Uncle!" He called out again. He weaved through some branches. The air was warmer here and Zuko was starting to sweat. He should just leave his crazy old uncle…he was dead weight most of them time anyway.

"Ah!" Zuko yelped. His uncle was sitting in a hot spring and his clothes were on the branch beside him. Zuko's stomach lurched. His face paled and he held up a hand to his face and turned away from his uncle.

"Zuko, you should join me!" his uncle leaned back into the water and firebended it warmer; "You could use the relaxation time." He sighed and closed his eyes. Zuko groaned.

"I don't want to lose the Avatar's trail so hurry up, Uncle!" Zuko yelled at him. "You have five more minutes." He walked back the way the came. He was going to have nightmares tonight and he knew it.

Iroh laughed quietly as Zuko walked away. He knew how to buy more time and if making Zuko sick was the price he had to pay, so be it. A man needed some rest every now and then.

He warmed the spring again and sat back. The trees around him gave him some cover and the spot was secluded. He thought a nap would work nicely right now. He closed his eyes and was grateful for the wonderful time he was having.

Iroh opened his eyes and noticed the sun's position. He had missed Zuko's deadline. He shrugged it off. He was an old man and deserved to do things like this. Zuko's whining was a bit much sometimes. He closed his eyes with a laugh.

But maybe Zuko was whining for good reason this time because he suddenly became very uncomfortable. He tried to move but he couldn't. His eyes shot open and he saw something that made him long for Zuko's complaints. He was surrounded by earth kingdom soldiers and encased in earth.

They examined his clothes on the tree branch, "He's fire nation." One of the soldiers threw his clothes on the ground and spit on them. Iroh narrowed his eyes and growled quietly.

"He's not any fire nation citizen," Another soldier grimaced at the thought. He stepped forward and took a good look at Iroh, "This is the once great Dragon of the West." The man laughed at Iroh's compromising position. He was in his underwear stuck in the earth.

"Once great?" Iroh chuckled slightly. If only they knew.

…..

Zuko walked around the forest once again looking for Iroh. He told the old man five minutes. It had been at least an hour and Zuko was growing impatient. His crew was searching with him. Though, he thought the idiots would probably just slow him down.

Zuko walked straight into a branch. It caught him straight in the stomach and he growled in pain. He stood back up straight and looked around. This was the clearing his uncle was in earlier. He looked down and saw his clothes. Across from him, the hot spring sat empty. Well, not completely empty, the rock looked disturbed and littered the spring.

"It looks like earthbenders were here," One of his crew members bent down to examine the rock disturbance, "He was probably taken prisoner, Prince Zuko." The man stood back up and asked Zuko, "Would you like us to accompany you on finding him?"

"Yes, but only to track him down," Zuko picked up his Uncle's clothes, "The soldiers will be mine to take care of." Zuko rubbed his temples. If he would've convinced his uncle to hurry up they wouldn't be in this predicament. "Ready the rhinos."

….

"Where are we going," Iroh asked. He was chained up and riding on the back of an ostrich horse. He was sitting sideways and the ride was not very comfortable for his bottom. "If you don't mind me asking." He added politely.

"Somewhere you are quite familiar with," The soldier next to him sounded. He was also riding an ostrich horse but his seemed larger than the rest. Iroh took him to be the leader of them all. "Ba Sing Se."

"I never thought I'd see that city again," Iroh muttered under his breath. Ever since his defeat at the Earth Kingdom Capital, he had tried to push it out of his head. It was also a place of horrible reminder, not just because he lost the battle.

"Well the tables will be turned this time won't they?" the leader asked. He heard Iroh's mumblings and laughed, "This time, the city is taking you prisoner."

"Hmm," Iroh thought. Now would be a good time to put his plan into action, "I only let that battle go because my men were tired. I was tired. It was a hard battle. In fact, I'm still…..tired." he told the soldier with a yawn. Iroh smiled slightly. Now was his time. He swayed gently and fell off the ostrich horse.

He lay on the dusty ground pretending to snore. The soldiers stopped and two of them got down to put Iroh back onto the animal carrying him and the other soldier. As they picked him up, Iroh quickly slipped off one of his sandals. He smiled as they put him back on the ostrich horse. None of them noticed his shoe on the ground.

….

Aang sat on the wooden porch with legs crisscrossed and fists together. The sun was even lower in the sky now and he knew his time was approaching. He evened his breathing and closed his eyes.

The sages didn't explain this aspect of being the Avatar much. They were planning on sending him to a guru so he would explain the spiritual side of his job but that time never came. All Aang knew was going into the spirit world could be achieved by great concentration and mediating.

So here he sat, trying his best to project himself into a world he knew nothing of. Needless to say, he was failing miserably. He couldn't focus his mind enough to make him leave his world. It was only giving him an immense headache.

The sun was now slowly going down and the sky darkening. Aang could sense the difference in colors behind his eye lids. It was not a good sign for him. The sun had gone down and he had failed to enter the spirit world. That meant he would face the spirit in the physical world which would be even more dangerous. This spirit was here with violent motives, judging by the village's appearance.

Aang stood and grabbed his glider. Now he had to prepare for a fight or very heated explanation. And what he saw approaching him made him wish he had made it into the spirit world. The spirit was bigger than any building in the village and colored black and white. He had four arms and two legs. It had a long snout and menacing teeth.

Aang tried to leave the porch but the spirit swung one of its arms and destroyed the house next to it sending debris towards Aang. He made an air shield with the help of his staff and deflected all of it. He airbended himself onto the top of a vacant building and called to the spirit, "Hei Bai! Listen to me, I'm the Avatar! And…"

The spirit wasn't here to talk by the looks of it and smashed the building Aang was on. Katara watched from the window in horror as Aang airbended to another building. She had to help him before he got himself killed. "I'm going after him," Katara whispered to herself and tried to ease her way through the window without Sokka noticing.

"Oh no you don't," he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back in, "Your lover boy will be okay; he's the Avatar, isn't he?" Sokka laughed at her determination. You think she would have some confidence in the guy.

"He's going to get himself killed!" Katara tried to wiggle free of Sokka's grip, "He needs help!" she stepped on his foot and elbowed him in the gut. He let her go on instinct and she climbed thru the window will he was recovering.

Sokka caught his breath and climbed out the window to follow, "Katara come back! You heard what Aang said!" but she was already running away towards Aang. He leaped off the porch and went in pursuit of her.

Katara rounded the building and stood behind the giant spirit who was driving Aang into a corner of a dilapidated house. She found the closest thing to her, a small plank and took her chances. She threw it and it hit the spirit on the leg.

It roared in annoyance and turned to face Katara. Her stomach dropped when she saw it up close. She was rooted in place. Hei Bai reached out with one of its large arms and moved to take Katara but he was met by someone else: Sokka. He had jumped in front of Katara just in time for the spirit to grab him instead of his sister.

"Sokka!" Aang yelled opening his glider. The spirit was now running to the forest on all its legs minus the one holding Sokka.

Aang glided as fast as he could to catch up with them. He was dodging trees like crazy and getting covered in dust kicked up by Hei Bai. He held out one hand, reaching for Sokka. He was doing the same and trying desperately to grab a hold of Aang. "Hurry up!" Sokka yelled reaching for the airbender.

Aang made one last attempt to reach Sokka but he disappeared along with Hei Bai leaving Aang to crash into the statue of a panda bear. He was in the burnt forest alone with his glider.

Aang must've blacked out for a while because when he came to, the sun was rising and his entire body ached. He rubbed his shoulder where he hit the statue. He was just thankful it wasn't his head that absorbed the impact of the hard stone.

He picked himself off the charred ground and stretched out his sore muscles and stiff joints. He must've been laying in that position all night for his body to be this sore. He rubbed his closed eyes and sighed. He couldn't believe he lost Sokka. He opened his eyes to be met by a strange sight: a blue hand.

Aang blinked, wondering if his eyes were just sensitive because of the bright morning sun but the blue hand was still there. He studied it more. It was pretty transparent and held an almost spiritual hue. To make matters worse, it had a blue arrow on the back of it, which made him realize he was staring at his own hand.

He was in the spirit world.

Aang's mind was racing. He had no idea how he got into his spirit form or how to get out. Was he stuck this way now or was it only temporary? He tried to shake his head clear but it failed.

He began walking in the direction of the village. Maybe he could contact Katara even in this state. Katara…she was the reason Sokka was taken. She had disobeyed his wishes and came out to help him. Part of him was glad she did. It meant she cared for him enough to risk her life for him. On the other hand, it meant she sucked at listening and endangered her life and Sokka's.

But his confused feelings all turned to relief when he saw Katara sitting outside the gates. She was wrapped in a blanket and her knees were drawn up to her chest. Dark circles sagged below her red eyes. Then his relief turned to guilt. It was his failure making her miserable.

He got to his knees in front of her and tried to put a hand on her shoulder. Much to his dismay, it passed right through without any resistance. He didn't know which was worse: her being miserable or him not being able to comfort her. Thankfully, Appa and Momo were there next to her keeping her company, she was going to need it. She wrapped Momo up in her arms and leaned against Appa. It broke Aang's heart.

"Avatar Roku," Aang called out to his previous life, "I need you! I need you to help me!" Aang searched around him and his heart dropped along with his hope. There was no sign of his last incarnation. What was the point of having him for guidance if he never showed up when he needed him to?

"Raarr!" Aang looked at Appa, assuming the sound came from him, though it didn't match his usual roar. Appa didn't make the sound; he was sleeping next to Katara. Aang looked around for the source of the roar.

"Raarr!" The sound came again. Aang tried to pin the direction of the roar and looked up. A bright light was racing towards him. And it wasn't just a light….it was a blue dragon! Aang held his staff up and tried to open. But his airbending never came. He was defenseless. The Sages told him there was no bending in this world but he never believed them. It couldn't be true…

Aang stood his ground bravely as the dragon soared to the ground in front of him. His landing didn't affect any of his surrounding which seemed odd since he was huge. And then Aang realized he had to be a spirit too!

The dragon moved one of its whiskers to Aang's forehead and Aang saw Roku riding the dragon and then in a flash, he saw himself riding Appa. "You're Roku's animal guide!" Aang exclaimed in excitement. Roku must be waiting for him them! Aang didn't waste another moment, he jumped on the dragon and he took off.

…..

Zuko hopped off his rhino and grabbed the sandal off the ground. It certainly looked like his uncle's. He looked back to his crew mates. They were all watching him intently which made Zuko self conscious of his next move. He leaned forward and sniffed the flip flop. He recoiled quickly and gasped for clean air. The sandal stunk! "This is my uncle's! We're on the right path!"

Iroh was already making plans. He assumed Zuko must've found his shoe and bee lining this way. Assuming his timing was right, Iroh can begin his escape and by the time it was in motion, Zuko would show up.

Iroh was searching his surrounds, looking for anything to be used to his advantage. There was a cliff the side of them which he could roll down safely. It wasn't too steep and rocky. He would definitely survive the fall. "Raarr!" Iroh looked up and was amazed. The Avatar was riding a large dragon and they were both a spiritual blue! He quickly composed himself so the soldiers wouldn't suspect anything weird.

"Ohhh," Iroh moaned. The soldier next to him gave him a look that clearly said 'shut up'. Iroh ignored the warning and moaned again, "ohhh, these chains are so loose!" he jingled them to express his discomfort.

"Too loose?" the leader asked in disbelief, "Why do you say that?" He looked at Iroh with harsh eyes.

"Yes, they rubbed against me and irate my old joints! Ohhh!" Iroh complained. The soldiers stopped at the leaders command and he got off his ostrich horse. He walked over to Iroh and Iroh heated up the shackles without him noticing a thing. He smiled slyly as the soldier touched the cuff.

"Ahhh!" he screamed in pain. Iroh kicked him in the chest with both feet and rolled off the animal carrying him. All the soldiers dismounted from their animals and prepared to capture him. But he had other plans.

Iroh rolled into the legs of the closest soldier and knocked him to the ground. He was now free to roll down the drop off. For good measure, he breathed fire back at the soldiers to distract them. He heard one of them scream in agony as he rolled on.

He was nearing the bottom of the cliff and he was bleeding all over. He was being scrapped by rocks but was bearing on. As he was almost free, a block of earth stopped his roll and soldiers slid down to secure him. "He's too dangerous!"

"I agree," the leader said. Iroh noticed there was one less soldier than usual. He must've really got the other one with that blast of fire. "Bring him down. We'll take care of it." They grabbed him and dragged him to the bottom of the cliff. The leader bended a rock up and flattened it at the top.

He placed Iroh's chained hands on top, "You're feet will go next, don't worry. They'll be crushed pretty fast. Almost painless…" he laughed and drew up another large rock, this one above Iroh's hands.

Iroh remained calm and hoped Zuko would come soon. "You will pay for burning my hand, once great Dragon of the West."

By some miracle, the rock was shoved away as soon as it came down and standing in front of Iroh was his nephew, Prince Zuko. Zuko brought the heel of his boot down on Iroh's chains and broke him free.

Iroh stood up and smiled, "I believe that you said something about crushing?" Iroh swung the chains around him for affect. There were four soldiers now. Two for him and two for Zuko to take down.

Zuko lunged forward and bended fire towards to guards. They rolled out of the way and Zuko stood between them. The simultaneously bended two large boulders at Zuko. As he ducked, they were hit by each other attacks and knocked out cold. Zuko smiled at how easy it was to beat them. Maybe his uncle's wisdom was rubbing off…

Iroh used his chains to redirect boulders or smash them all together. He lashed the chain out at one of the soldiers and it smacked his right across the head, sending him to the ground unconscious. The last man standing looked at Iroh. He was the man about to crush his hands. Iroh grinned at the man. But he didn't get his revenge, Zuko came up behind him and used a stray rock to hit him in the back of the head with. Iroh was definitely impressed by his nephew.

"You found me!" Iroh said happily, "Almost too late."

Zuko looked at his uncle who was still in underwear, "Yeah, guess luck was on our side, now can you please put on some clothes?"

….

Aang was flying on the dragon at speeds Appa could never reach. They were soaring over water that looked blurred and murky due to the speed. Aang's face would've gone numb if it was the mortal world.

Just as he was about to ask where they were going, an island appeared on the horizon. It was crescent shaped and held one temple. It seemed vaguely familiar. The dragon approached it, never slowing down. Aang screamed as they flew right thru the roof of the temple.

The dragon landed on the floor and Aang caught his breath. Around them was a dark room with fire nation designs. And on one side of the room stood a gold statue of Roku surrounded by gold fire carvings.

There was a red light shining on one spot of the statue, almost to Roku's face. The dragon used its whisker to show Aang another vision. This one was of a burning comet flying thru the sky. It was beautiful yet, there was something wrong about it. Aang could feel it. Aang somehow understood he needed to come to this spot on the solstice. After all these things were revealed to him, the room vanished as did the animal guide.

…

Katara pulled herself up to Appa's head. Aang and Sokka had been gone all night and most of the day. Someone had to go find them and the villagers were afraid to go into the forest. Katara had to take things into her own hands, "Yip yip!"

Appa flew into the air and Katara scanned the forest for any signs of movement or life. This was all her fault and she knew it. Aang told her to stay inside and she didn't listen. Her stubbornness and emotions got the better of her and before she knew it, she was throwing a plank at the giant spirit.

She wiped a tear from her eye and took in a shaky breath. She was going to be strong for Aang and Sokka. She was going to fix her wrongs. She looked down and noticed that they had made it to the burnt forest. She brought Appa down and drew her knees to her chest. They were no where to be found.

She jumped off Appa and walked around the charred area. Just yesterday, she and Aang were here and she was trying to comfort him. Just yesterday, she was throwing rocks at Sokka to make him shut up and quite being such a skeptic. She never thought she'd miss that.

A bright light soared across the sky and landed behind Katara. She stood in awe for a moment but turned around to run in the direction it landed. It had to be Aang!

Katara picked up her pace and her heart lifted when she caught sight of him. He was sitting on top of a statue of a panda bear. He looked troubled. He airbended off the statue onto the ground in front of Katara.

She hesitate to throw her arms around his neck and hug him. "Where did you go?" She let go of him as quickly as she grabbed him. "And where's Sokka?"

Aang hung his head, "I was in the spirit world and Sokka's stuck in there." Katara's eyes grew wide at the revelation. She always knew Sokka had a knack for getting in trouble but this time, it was bad. "We have to get back to the village."

It was night once again. They landed Appa in the village quickly and they jumped off together, "Go inside and no heroics this time!" Aang shouted and he ran to the gate of the village. Katara didn't hesitate this time. She ran into the building with the rest of the village and waited for Aang to end this. Katara told him her plan and hopefully it would work. If not, Katara would resort to heroics.

Aang positioned himself on the tallest building and waited patiently. Katara had this idea and plan that she told him about. He didn't know what to make of it at first but it did make perfect sense and it was worth the try. Right on time, the spirit Hei Bai strolled into the village.

He must've sensed something was out of place because he stopped at the building before Aang. Aang held his breath and worked up his courage to do the stupidest thing ever. He told Katara of his spirit journey and she reasoned that it must've worked with all spirits so here he is…now jumping to the spirits large head.

Before Hei Bai could react, Aang touched his forehead and an understanding passed between them. Hei Bai knew that Aang meant no harm and Aang knew Hei Bai was trying to protect his forest. Katara told Aang he had to be the spirit of the forest and she was right.

"Hei Bai, you don't need to attack this village," Aang jumped off his head and landed on the ground before him, "It wasn't there fault. Besides your forest will grow back! See!" Aang held out the acorn and Hei Bai studied the young Avatar. He was indeed right.

Hei Bai groaned in response. Aang took at as a peaceful sign. Hei Bai turned into his orginal form: a panda bear. He licked Aang with his large tounge, much like Appa does to Sokka and he retreated peacefully into the forest.

As he left, everyone he kidnapped walked thru the village gates. Sokka was the first one out, "I need a bathroom! It's an emergency!" And Katara, who was ready to hug him, quickly moved out the way as he ran past her. Aang laughed as Sokka continued to yell and move people out the way. He was really a strange person.

Katara walked up to Aang and gave him a short hug, "You did it!" her plan, thankfully, worked and the town was saved. And unfortunately, that meant Sokka too.

"Yeah but now there's something else," Aang told her. The villagers had now circled around them and Sokka was making his way over, back from his bathroom break. "I need to go to an island to speak to Roku on the solstice."

"The solstice is tomorrow!" the villager elder exclaimed. Sokka was staring at Aang. He had just made it out of the spirit world, almost peed himself and now there was more? What did he sign up for?

"That's not even the worst part," Aang shook his head in dismay, "The island is in the fire nation."

Everyone gasped and Aang was really annoyed with the audience he had. This was meant for Katara and Sokka to know. It was their mission. "NO!" Sokka yelled, "I don't care what you think you need to do, none of us are going there, especially you Aang!"

Aang looked into Sokka's cold blue eyes. He knew there would be no budging him on this subject. He wasn't going to fight him. He was just going to play it off to keep Sokka's trust. Aang nodded, to convey his understanding, and walked away from the group.

When everyone went to sleep, he was going to find that island, help or no help.

**I really think the quality of my work depends on how much I enjoy the episode, so it must be pretty obvious this one didn't top my list. I found it pretty boring so sorry if it was not too great. But good news: Katara and Aang are getting together very soon. There's an episode in the first season that works perfectly. It's probably obvious as to which one..but review and tell me what y'all think? Any ideas, opinions, questions, concerns? Voice them in that little box down there and I'll be happy to answer them or possibly add in your ideas! Thanks for reading!**


	7. Avatar Roku: The Winter Solstice P2

**I'd just like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my friends: **IMPERIOUSRULESANDSODOESKORAGG. **Again, y'all are amazing! I have had a permanent smile on my face since I've been getting all these reviews and favorites! Anyways, just a heads up in advance, I will be skipping 'The Great Divide' just because it will only slow down the pace I've set for the story and it'll hold no significant value in my plot. If anyone has any problems with that, PM me or review with a legit reason and I'll see what I can do. I've had writer's block like crazy so sorry the updates aren't coming very fast….On with the story!**

Aang peeked over at Sokka who was now asleep. The village gave them a room to use for the night as payment for saving their village. Aang thought it was a nice gesture but he wasn't going to be using the room any longer. He silently threw his blankets back and stepped out of bed fully clothed. He picked his staff up off the ground and tip toed to the door.

He let out a breath of relief as he made it into the hallway without Sokka waking up. Now, all he had to do was make it past Katara's room and he would be out of the house. Her room was the only thing that stood between him and the exit. He tip toed as far from the door as possible and held his breath. The hallway was pitch black and he could barely see a foot in front of him. He shuffled a bit farther and almost gasped as he stepped on a creaky board.

He stopped dead in his tracks and waited for Katara to run out of her room with her hands on her hips and yell at him for being irresponsible and selfish. But she never came. Aang gulped and wiped some sweat of his forehead. That was a close one. He continued to walk to the exit, this time not having problems with the floor boards.

He opened the door, thankfully it didn't squeak, and he walked out into the cool night air. He took in a deep breath of relief and made his way to Appa who was sleeping behind the house. "Hey buddy," Aang whispered and rubbed Appa's giant head. He opened one large eye and looked at Aang in annoyance. He didn't seem too happy to be woken up. "Ready to go?"

"Yup," someone jumped down next to him. He jumped at least a foot and held his staff out, ready to attack. Only, the person just stood there. Aang's eyes were just beginning to adjust to the dark…

"Katara?" Aang asked in disbelief, "What are you doing?" She sighed and pulled herself up to Appa's head without an explanation, "Oh no, you're staying here! You can't go to the fire nation with me, who knows why Roku wants me on the island, it could be dangerous!" Aang airbended himself up to Appa's head, "Sokka will kill us both!"

"Too bad, yip yip," Katara told Appa. Aang had no choice but to sit down before being thrown off. Katara was sitting with her legs crossed and a smile on her face. She knew she had won. She did plan it all out after all.

Zuko stepped out from behind the building and watched the two fly away on the bison. He smiled at the information he now possessed. He knew Roku was the previous Avatar and he knew exactly where the island was that Aang was talking about.

….

Katara woke up in the saddle and rubbed her eyes. She didn't remember falling asleep but was grateful for the energy it gave her. Something told her she was going to need it on this trip. She sat up and looked around her; they were flying over water again and the sun had almost reached the middle of the sky.

Katara moved to the front of the saddle to sit behind Aang, "Are we making good time?" Aang jumped a little at her voice but turned around to face her. He didn't look tired at all. He must've been taking quick power naps while she was asleep.

"Yeah, we'll make it there with some time to spare," He smiled at her, "Are you all rested up now? I moved you back there after you fell asleep. I was afraid you'd fall off or something" he grinned to let her know he was kidding. She didn't look too amused.

Katara nodded. Sweat was beading on her forehead. The air was warmer here. And the sun beating down on them wasn't helping. There wasn't much cloud cover today and it was uncomfortable. "Do you expect a fight?"

Aang shrugged and his face fell the tiniest bit, "I don't really know what to expect anymore." Katara didn't pester him about it. If he wanted to talk, she was sure he would come to her. They were best friends after all, weren't they? "But someone has been following us for a while; I do expect a fight from him." Aang pointed behind Appa, "It looks like that guy with the funny scar's ship. I'm not positive but I'm sure he's found a way to track us."

"How does he keep finding us?" Katara asked herself aloud, "And why is he obsessed with finding you?" Katara knew the fire nation wanted Aang but this guy was taking things a lot further than she had thought he would.

"I don't know how he keeps finding us but he does have a grudge with me," Aang said nonchalantly, "I told him to get a girlfriend and stop following me. Then I tried to feed him to the Unagi. Something tells me he doesn't like me much." Aang grinned at the memory. He found it to be very funny even if the guy with the scar didn't.

Aang stood up to stretch and Katara looked away so she couldn't be caught staring. All she needed to do was get caught and make things awkward. She blushed at the thought, "Great, he's getting close." Aang's shoulders slumped. "Earlier, he got close enough to fire at us and he completely missed!" He threw his hands us, "That's a real insult; you'd think they would send someone with some abilities after me." He crossed his arms and pouted.

Katara giggled and covered her mouth to hide it. She was rather glad they sent someone completely talentless after Aang. It insured their safety. And the guy was good target practice for Aang. "Are you worried he might hit us?" she asked. At the moment, she could see the crew running around the deck preparing some sort of catapult. She didn't have a great feeling about it.

"Not really, he couldn't even get a close shot earlier," He shrugged and sat back down to steer, "Could his aim really improve in a few hours?" He took the reigns in his hands and urged Appa to go faster. It was really pointless to him to even worry about the guy right now.

"I guess not," Katara trailed off. She didn't want to point out the possibility that someone on that ship might be able to aim. She continued to watch Aang from the saddle. His shoulders were tense and she could now see that his tough guy talk was just that, talk. She could tell he was still bothered about this whole Avatar thing. And with everything going on, she didn't know if she could really blame him.

*Whoosh* A ball of fire rushed past them. "Oh man…" Aang trailed off. They were approaching a blockade. The fire nation must keep their waters guarded well. And this blockade was huge: two lines of ships extending on for as long as he could see. He thought that must have better aim than scar face back there.

"Sir, there's another fire nation ship out there, I don't think it's wise to fire while one is in the water," A henchman informed Zhao. He was shaking while standing next to Zhao. Speaking out against his plans was something no one on deck would ever do, but he had to stand up for the poor people out there…

"I assure you it is fine," Zhao stroked his sideburns, "It is only a traitor." He smiled at the sight of the Avatar and Zuko in the same area. He was going to get two for the work of one. Things couldn't be going better for him. "Fire at will."

"This is going to get rough," Aang warned Katara. Zuko was now firing at Aang, and although he was missing, it made dodging the blockade's fire harder. It was like navigating a maze. "Stay down!" He warned her. With projectiles flying everywhere, he didn't need Katara risking her life by sitting or standing.

She hesitated but laid down on her stomach, just in case she needed to get up fast, and watched fire balls fly past them. It was really humiliating how little faith he had in her in dire situations. Sure her waterbending was…basic, but she could help!

She edged her way to the side of the saddle and lifted herself barely over the edge. The water wasn't too far down; maybe she could try out the waterbending move she was working on. Right now would be the perfect time because if it worked, it could save them, and if it didn't…well it never hurts to try.

Aang was busy steering and Appa was soaring at awkward flight patterns, keeping Aang completely focused with everything but her. Now was Katara's chance. She stood up and got into her waterbending stance. She put her legs shoulder length apart, one foot slightly in front of the other and held her arms out in front of her slightly bent. She drew in a slow deep breath and cleared her mind to make room for concentration.

She started moving her arms gracefully, attempting to draw the waves. She could feel the push and pull of the water and the spray of the ocean on her face. She could feel the pressure building up in the currents. The power of the ocean felt amazing, so much that it brought a smile to her face. Waterbending was the most amazing thing to Katara. It held a feeling that nothing else on earth could compare to.

"Katara!" Aang shouted back to her. He turned around in time to see her trying to waterbend while standing on Appa's saddle. He groaned, wasn't he supposed to be the one trying to save the day all the time? "What are you doing? Get down!" he tried to move to her but the projectiles kept coming, keeping his attention on dodging.

Katara blocked out his voice and focused on her goal at hand. She had to make a wave; a big wave. She was going to wash it over part of the blockade and buy them time enough to cross it safely. It had to work because now was her time to prove herself. She had worked on waterbending her whole life and now was her time. Her hard work had to pay off. She closed her eyes and started to work at the waves, growing them at a steady pace.

Aang looked forward at the blockade. They were loading their catapults again and Aang was desperately trying to think of a way out of this. The probably was the only solution was to push through and hope for the best. They didn't have time for much else. The solstice was getting close and they needed to be at the temple as soon as possible.

"Sir," Zhao's crewman walked up, "Catapults are loaded and ready to fire at the bison."

Zhao smiled. "How accurate are those catapults?" Zhao could see the figure standing on the bison. They were approaching fast and making a straight line towards them. The person standing would be a great target and so would that traitors ship.

Aang gripped the reigns tighter, they were about to launch the fire balls and he had to be ready to dodge them. They were getting close so it would have to be quick thinking. There wasn't time for mistakes.

He glanced back at Katara who still was trying to waterbend with her eyes closed, "Katara you have to get down, NOW!" She was clearly ignoring him. What in the spirits name was she doing? Was she trying to be obvious and get them killed?

They were so close to the ship he could hear a gruff voice yell, "Fire!" Aang stared in horror as fire flew threw the sky. Though not all of it was aimed at them, one particular one was heading straight for them and more particularly, at the waterbender above him.

He didn't hesitate. He airbended himself as fast as possible and tackled Katara down. Seconds after he did, a fire ball past right above them and landed in the water behind Appa. Aang sighed in relief but Katara was smiling. When Aang tackled her, she released her grip on the currents. That wave she made had washed everyone off the deck of the nearest ships in their path. She could feel them hit the water. She did what she set out to do and it hadn't been in vain.

Aang sat up to examine the damage that was now behind him. Every crew member had been washed off the six boats that were firing at them. And they had passed safely. Maybe her need for heroics saved them. But Katara wasn't going to get off that easy.

Zhao pulled himself back up onto his boat. So she's a waterbender. He growled at the thought. The Avatar had a trick up his sleeve this one time but now his secret weapon was exposed. They wouldn't be caught off guard next time. "Men!" Zhao commanded to his crew that was making they're way back onto deck, "Get ready to invade an enemy ship."

His crew scrambled around to gather their weapons that were misplaced with the giant wave. Zhao could see Zuko standing on the deck of his ship. They were drawing extremely close. Zhao sent him a snide smile which he was sure Zuko could see, even with one eye. "Everything is ready."

Zuko looked back at his uncle. "They're going to take our ship and our crew." Zuko did see that smile from Zhao. And he knew it meant he was up to no good. Zuko did have a plan though. It was rather risky and if not timed right, could really backfire. "Are you ready, Uncle?"

Iroh nodded with a grim expression. He knew what Zuko had planned. They had discussed it when they first saw the blockade. If it succeeded, it only would cause them more troubles in the future, but under the circumstances, he was sure it would have to do. "The crew has been prepared."

Zhao was standing on his deck waiting for the right moment. He was ready for this fight. He was ready for some revenge on this spoiled prince. Their ship was slowing to a stop, right in front of his ship. "Now!" Zhao commanded his crew. They threw a ramp across the ships and Zhao and his crew crossed onto Zuko's ship. Everything was silent and he ordered a few men to check below deck for the traitors. The cowards were hiding!

Zuko took in a deep breath and submerged himself in the water as the rest of his crew. As their boat was crawling to a stop, he saw their opportunity to swim away and they took it. Now they were underwater, swimming stealthily thru the water.

The blockade had two rows of ships so they had to swim under one. The water became an eerie shade of blue but they all kept their composure and swam on. The waters were still chilly though the air above was hot and Zuko was trembling from the ice water. His uncle was swimming beside him, unfazed by the cool.

The water lightened up and Zuko knew they had passed under the entire ship. Now their target would be in reach. He stopped momentarily for his crew to regroup, they broke the surface but only enough to breathe and acquire their targets position. But after that was done, they wasted no time climbing up the ladder to the deck.

Zuko jumped up as Iroh climbed up. Within seconds, his entire crew was on deck taking the ship under their control. "Get the boat moving on course!" he shouted to his navigator. The man ran to assume his position as Zuko faced the captain of the ship who must've taken refuge from the waves below deck and came up when he heard them. The man looked around and saw how outnumbered he was. The captain held up his hands in surrender but Zuko ignored his gesture and firebended him right off the side. Before any other ships in the blockade could recover and help, Zuko and his crew were sailing on course with the Avatar. Zuko wished Zhao could see his smile now.

"What were you thinking?" Aang asked as he sat down in front of her. They were sitting in the saddle facing each other. "You could've been killed; this is exactly why you shouldn't have come!"

Katara just stared at him, "This is what I signed up for, Aang, when Sokka and I came looking for you after the fire nation took you in the South Pole." Aang shook his head and mumbled something. Katara just sighed at his stubbornness. He has this idea that everything dangerous has to be done alone and it bothers Katara to no end. "We knew it was going to be dangerous. Can't you just accept our help, my help?"

Aang looked at Katara and met her deep, ocean blue eyes. He had to admit, they were more beautiful and captivating than the water below. She had the most determined look on her face, "That was some good waterbending." He changed the subject to avoid her anger.

Katara blushed at the compliment, "Thanks, it kind of took…years for me to get that." She didn't know exactly why she told him that. It was embarrassing that she could barely make a wave and she had been practicing for years. Her eyes were downcast and her mind racing. Aang was so close to her…

"Well, it was really worth it," He smiled a little knowing his next comment would set her off, "You still shouldn't have come. On the whole trip I mean. You had a family at the South Pole. You had a life. I don't understand why you left." And it was true. Aang didn't want to be the Avatar because of what I meant for him. He would lose everything. He couldn't cope with the idea, and here's Katara and Sokka willingly leaving everything behind.

"Sometimes, you find something worth sacrificing for," she said quietly. She had to admit, she was a bit infatuated with Aang since the moment she saw him. She would be willing to travel the whole world with him, face any danger and fight any fight. "Besides, life there isn't what you think. It's pretty horrible."

"You still had family," He whispered. He had felt guilty since they had left. He took them from their family. He uprooted their life all for his trip to learn waterbending. Aang shook the thought out of his head. Katara probably only came so she could learn waterbending and Sokka probably tagged along so he could keep an eye on her.

"I still do," She assured him, "You are family, Aang." She took his hand in hers. He had large hands compared to hers and they were soft for a guy's. She intertwined their fingers and smiled up at him. A small blush tinted his pale cheeks and a small smile played on his lips. "We're here for you, Aang."

He searched her eyes for any signs of doubt or deception and when he found none, he smiled. She blushed under his intense gaze but smiled back. "Thank you," He told her quietly. His people were gone. His old family had died a hundred years ago but he could see hope in his new one.

Appa groaned. "I think we've found the island," Katara looked over Aang's shoulder. Aang let go of her hand and turned around to see for himself. The island was the same as it had been in the spirit world. It was crescent shaped with one temple on the highest point.

"We're going to have to sneak in," Aang told her moving to Appa's head to take the reigns and guide him down, "I don't know what to expect but I don't want to take my chances. They are still fire nation after all." Katara nodded in agreement. She took her usual spot in the front of the saddle, right above Aang. She had a new confidence after that wave at the blockade. Maybe it was a sign things were going to go well here.

They landed Appa on a secluded spot on the island, out of sight from anyone sailing by and people at the temple. Katara was stretching out her stiff muscles and Aang was talking to Appa, "Appa, stay hidden unless you hear trouble, you know the drill." Appa roared in understanding and Aang smiled at his friend. "Ready, Katara?"  
"Let's go," Katara said seriously. She and Aang had been doing a lot of sneaking around in enemy territory lately and this didn't seem much different. Her blood was rushing and she could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Aang was feeling a similar way, only nervous about talking to his past life. He didn't think whatever he had to say would be reassuring to him.

Aang looked at his glider that was tied to Appa's reigns. He could move faster without it and not have to risk someone seeing it if he didn't bring it but sometimes, it really comes in handy. "Are you coming?" Katara asked from the top of the ridge. Aang looked at it one last time and then airbended himself up to Katara's spot. He would leave it this time…

The climbed the rest of the way up to the temple, with some help from Aang's airbending. Aang scoped the area, and when he deemed everything to be clear, he and Katara made a dash for the side of the temple. The bricks of the temple were giving off a lot of heat and made Aang sweat just by standing next to them. The volcano on this island must be active and radiating heat.

Aang wiped the sweat off his forehead and Katara followed suit. They only paused for a moment though before they continued. Aang had noticed this wall had an open window at the top but it seemed pretty high up. He also remembered what happened last time they tried to sneak through a window. "Wanna risk it?" He whispered while pointing up.

She looked up to the window. It was high up but it was rather large. Katara thought it was big enough for her and Aang to get through together. Aang seemed to be thinking the same thing because he picked her up bridal style and used his airbending to bring them up to the window pane. They stayed perched there until they were sure they were alone. Aang gently landed on the floor and sat Katara back down. Then, they crept over to the wall so Aang could see around the corner.

"Avatar?" A soft whisper came from behind them. Aang and Katara both jumped but remained quiet. More attention was certainly not what they needed. Just as they were about to run, the man got to his knees and bowed. Aang froze and Katara watched the man with interest. He was dressed in a sleeveless red outfit and had on a tall, pointy red hat. He was older but not King Bumi old. "You are here to see Avatar Roku at the solstice," the sage stated. He stood up and motioned for them to follow. Aang and Katara looked at each other and she shrugged. He nodded and followed the sage.

"So does everyone know I'm back?" Aang asked the man quietly. They were moving through the halls quickly but none of them made a sound. For an older man, the guy was sure fit.

"No," he said quickly, "And they are no longer loyal to you either. The Fire Lord has their sworn allegiance. I am the only one left loyal to the Avatars." He explained this all with a grim expression. He seemed sickened by his own words. "I come from the last loyal line. My grandfather knew you personally. He told my father stories of meeting you in Omashu. Then, my father told me his stories. We have been waiting for you."

"Your grandfather was a sage a hundred years ago?" Aang asked in shock. He remembered the sage in Omashu. There was one sage from each group, one for each nation that attended this meeting since it would be unwise to leave the temples empty. Aang remembered the man clearly. He was young and still pretty nice. Well he was nicer than the other sages at the meeting. He was more understanding and level headed. "I remember him." The conversation stopped after that. They made their way through tunnels and hall ways without incident. Aang thought it was going too good…

The sage nodded, "Here's the room." They stood in front of large, open doors. It had a key mechanism similar to the one at the air temple. Thankfully it was open because Aang was sure the key was firebending. "When the light hits the statue, you will be able to speak to Avatar Roku. Make sure the doors don't close on you. The sound can be heard throughout the temple. While you are in the spirit world with Roku, your friend and I will stand guard. If anything happens, we'll be here to protect you." The sage gestured for Aang to enter the room.

He smiled at Katara as he walked by her, just to give her some courage. She looked as if she really needed it. Aang could tell she didn't enjoy being in a fire nation temple with a sage while Aang was busy being the Avatar, but if there was ever a time to have faith in her abilities, it was now.

As he entered the room, he could tell it was the one Roku's animal guide brought him to. It had the same fire nation decoration and statue. The light was almost to Roku's face so Aang stood patiently and waited. He was nervous about what Roku would say. Could it ever be good to be summoned by a past life?

Just as Aang was about to lose his nerve and walk out, the light hit the statue's face and the room lit up. Aang was drawn into the spirit world with Roku.

As Aang entered the spirit world, the sage and Katara were both pulled back by an invisible force. They both found themselves in the room with Aang. Katara looked at the sage who looked as bewildered as her. He stepped forward to leave but the doors slammed shut, the sound bounced off the walls of the room, ringing Katara's ears. "Roku must sense danger. There is no other explanation for these events," the sage stood by the statue of Roku, "You may not want to be by those doors when they open, move away."

…..

The other sages were outside talking to Zhao. He looked up at the temple, puzzled as to why Zuko would come here much less the Avatar. "What is it that you guard?" Zhao asked the sages curiously. They were making their way inside.

"Nothing, this used to be Avatar Roku's home. It's just a spiritual place," The head sage told him. Zhao couldn't comprehend why a spiritual center would be so important to anyone and the sages didn't want to have to explain it all to the man.

"Humph, so why did the Avatar come here?" Zhao snorted. He felt like the Avatar must have some sort of trap planned on them all. He just couldn't see the significance in such a place. They rounded another corner into a darker hallway.

"The Avatar is alive?" the sages stopped in their tracks and spun to face Zhao. The idea was preposterous! They would've received some sort of sign that the Avatar was alive if he was. They were sages after all! This man Zhao was insulting them!

"Why yes, I assumed you knew since you have some sort of connection with the Avatars," Zhao said innocently. They had to know he was alive! This most definitely had to be a trap. It was a good thing his crew was following him and the sages.

"We know where he would be!" the head sage started to run the opposite direction. The other sages quickly followed with Zhao and his crew. Zuko stepped out into the hallway once they were gone. These idiots were leading him right to the Avatar.

….

Aang looked at the man in front of him. He had a long white beard and hair to match. He had a traditional fire nation bun on the top of his head and dressed in deep red clothes. He had a large nose and deep eyes that looked as if they have seen everything to life and then some. The man in front of Aang was Avatar Roku.

"Aang," his voice was deep, slow and calm, "I need to talk to you about the upcoming events and I don't have much time. There is a comet coming, it only comes once every one hundred years. A hundred years ago, Sozin used it to start the war and wipe out the air nomads, and now Ozai will use it to win the war." Roku paused to let it all sink in for Aang, "Now you must master all four elements and defeat the fire lord by summers end, before Sozin's Comet. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders."

Roku never blinked or showed any kind of emotion, not even pity. But Aang was on the verge of a breakdown. Master the four elements and defeat the fire lord? Was that even possible? "But Roku, I haven't even started waterbending, how?" Aang's voice was frantic. The fog that was a natural part of the spirit world seemed to be engulfing Aang and suffocating him. The terrain around them was mountainous and made Aang fear falling. He was going crazy.

"You have mastered the elements before, now is no different," Roku assured him in his fatherly voice, "And your past lives are here to help. We have vast knowledge. We are in you, apart of you. Meditate, Aang, you can always have access to us."

Aang was at a loss for words so he just nodded his head. He almost died coming here just to get told all this? The universe must not like him very much for this kind of luck, "There's a problem outside the room. You're friends are safe inside the room and I could help you defeat the intruders outside." Aang nodded in agreement and waited for something to happen. Aang could feel Roku becoming distant. The solstice must've been drawing to an end. Aang could feel everything fading away and then immense power surge through him.

Katara and the sage stepped back as Aang's tattoos began to glow. Roku's eyes were also glowing on the statue as did other statues at the other temples. It was the sign of the Avatar's return and that he was in the Avatar state, "I can't believe it." The sage was standing in front of Katara watching Aang.

Fog was engulfing the room and an image was starting to flicker in front of Aang, the same person as the person carved on the wall: Roku. His form was giant, seemed spiritual but was clearly there. He opened the doors with earthbending and Katara saw Zhao, his crew and the other fire sages. As soon as they saw the fog and Roku, they all scattered.

Roku breathed in a steadied himself; he lifted his arms and brought them down to the floor. As soon as he did, a massive crack appeared in the floor. He breathed deep in again and brought his arms back up and lava burst through the crack, destroying the room around them. He repeated the same motion of raising his arms again and Katara could feel the temple shake.

During all this, she didn't even notice the sage run out. Roku's form was shimmering and then disappeared all together. Aang was left standing in the middle of the room. His tattoos stopped glowing and he staggered a bit. Katara ran forward and steadied him, "We have to get out of here!"

He seemed to regain his senses after a second and stood straight on his own power. Smoke was everywhere from the burning temple and cracks were appearing all over the floors and walls. He grabbed Katara's hand and pulled her out of the room, careful to avoid the larger cracks in the ground. He may be the Avatar, but he couldn't earthbend or firebend which meant if they fall in, they're in trouble.

Neither of them knew their way around the temple so they ran aimlessly until they found a window. The room around them was caving in and lava was quickly filling the floor. Aang was really regretting his choice to leave his glider behind. "Do you trust me?" Aang asked coughing from the smoke. Katara nodded, desperate to get out of the place. She was only fourteen and didn't think dying sounded appealing.

He pulled her closer, still holding her hand and jumped out the window. Katara was screaming at the top of her lungs and closed her eyes. The lava filled room seemed pretty good right now. Aang screamed when he realized he didn't think this through at all. There was lava all over the ground below.

Then, they stopped falling and Aang's screaming turned to laughing. Katara opened her eyes, afraid she was dead. They were on Appa! She began to laugh to from relief and Appa grunted in response. "We did it!" Aang sat up and hugged Katara. Right now, mastering the elements wasn't on his mind. Neither was defeating the fire lord and ending the war. Right now, all that mattered was that they were alive and heading back for Sokka.

…

"Traitors!" Zhao shouted, "You are all traitors! We have no Avatar and we have no prince!" Zhao firebended above their heads. He was furious. He came out all this way to have almost died and all he had was five sages.

"But only he helped the Avatar…" the lead sage tried to explain. They were all bound around the wrists and ankles, kneeling in front of Zhao.

"Silence!" Zhao roared, "He escaped! That makes you all traitors!" He waved his hand at two crew members to bring them down to the prison cells. The only comforting thought was that he got his ship back, after he stole the one from his fleet back. They had to sail Zuko's ship to the island in order to make it there in time and they sailed the stolen one back. Zuko's ship was still there when they sailed back to the mainland. Zuko was on that island when the temple was destroyed.

It also wouldn't be too bad if Zuko perished in that fire.

…..

Katara and Aang arrived at the village around midnight. They were both sitting on Appa's head talking about what happened while Aang was in the spirit world. He didn't leave anything out. Katara didn't know what to say; her mind was a little occupied on something else: Sokka. He was going to be furious.

Appa landed on the ground and Aang helped Katara to the ground. They were both flushed red from the heat and lava still. And none other than Sokka ran out of the shadows.

"Where have you two been?" he yelled pointing his finger at them, "You went to that island didn't you! And why are you're faces red?" He was pointing his finger at Aang's cheeks. "Oh my spirits, you two didn't go to the fire nation….you….her," he was stuttering and Aang was at a loss. He had no idea what was going on, "You went on some…love adventure!"

Katara busted out laughing and Aang stood frozen in place…Love adventure? Was he really accusing them of that…oh spirits. "NO! There was this fire..." Aang was blushing now and Katara was doubled over laughing. It was really bringing his confidence down that this was so funny to her.

Sokka held up his hands, "I don't need details…just let me go to sleep while we're on Appa…I don't need a reenactment while I'm awake..." He rubbed his temples as he climbed up Appa's tail. His little sister…and a monk? He really needed to sleep this one off.

"Love adventure?" Aang asked Katara. He was hoping that she understood what was going on because he had no idea why Sokka would even jump to that kind of conclusion. It was embarrassing!

"He's just paranoid, and probably jealous," Her laughs turned into occasional giggles, "You know Sokka. Besides, he's going to try and sleep it off. That means less complaining." Katara looked up at Sokka who was already asleep in Appa's saddle, "I guess he'd rather think that than believe we went against him to visit a fire nation temple." She shrugged and looked up at Aang. He was still blushing from embarrassment.

"But I mean really, love adventure?" he shook his head and helped her to Appa's head. It was going to be a long trip to the North Pole.

**These 'love adventures' will be mentioned a few times in the story just because I could so see Sokka saying something like that. So how'd y'all like the chapter? Review and tell me! Thanks for reading!**


	8. The Waterbending Scroll

** After my vacation weekend with a friend, I got really inspired to write so I'm glad to be rid of that wretched writer's block. And since there were no complaints, we will skip "The Great Divide". And P.S. Kataangers…get ready for the next chapter. Can y'all say drama? Until then, how about some butt kicking pirates and a stalker prince? Oh, and my reasons for changing the rating to T will become apparent from here on out. Just saying, I have a terrible and perverted sense of humor…**

"I still can't believe you guys left me," Sokka complained from the back of the saddle. He was lying on his back so he wouldn't have to look at his traitor friends, "Do you know how dangerous that was?"

Katara rolled her eyes. This had been going on since he'd woken up. It had been hours and she had really started wishing they'd just left him in that village and gone to the North Pole. "Well next time you'll learn some things have to be done and come with us." She was leaning against the saddle behind Aang who was still steering. She was glad Sokka dropped the 'love adventure' thing. She was worried if it went on, Aang would die of embarrassment.

"She's right," Aang said without turning around to speak to them. He had been doing that all morning; he had seemed really distant. The truth was, Aang was feeling confused. This trip was turning out to be a lot more than a trip up north. This was getting deeper than that and he didn't know if that was fair to them. Sure, on the way to the island, Katara said they already knew what they signed up for, but Aang couldn't help but worry. He didn't want to ruin their lives and drag them into his problems. And the 'love adventure' only showed Aang how much he was interfering with her life. Things between them were no longer simple. Even he couldn't figure them out.

He missed whatever Sokka's reply was due to his thoughts. He had a bigger problem on his hands now: mastering all four elements before summer's end. In his mind, he was going crazy, but outside, he tried to remain composed. He supposed it was working because Katara hadn't said anything. Or so he thought, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Aang looked up at Katara. She wasn't looking at him but at Sokka who had moved forward to join the conversation. He knew what his meant: tell Sokka and let him be the idea guy. Aang had to admit he had some good ideas but this seemed to be out of his understanding. "I have to master all four elements by summers end. It's not going to be easy."

"But you've already mastered airbending," Sokka pointed out. He didn't seem too worried about what Aang just told him. But then again, it wasn't really his problem to deal with. Normally Sokka wasn't the optimist that was Katara's job.

"That took years," Aang threw his hands up in defeat, "And I haven't learned a single thing about waterbending, not even the basics." Aang sat back against Appa and tried to calm his raging thoughts. He desperately wished he could miraculously learn the elements over night, but he knew that to be impossible.

"Well I can teach you what waterbending I know," Katara offered. Aang could feel her gaze on the back of his head. "It's not much but it's better than nothing," she admitted. Aang could feel a small bit of hope ignite in him. Katara really was an optimist but this time, he didn't see any harm with trying.

"Yeah, we'll even find you a fancy little puddle you can splash in for your first date," Sokka said sarcastically. He pretended to gag and bent over the saddle for effect. Katara was really wishing she could just leave him stranded in the woods somewhere.

….

Zuko unleashed another fury of fire from his hands. He and two other crew mates were sparring on the deck. Zuko had a lot of pent up anger to release and this was working well for him. He had been practicing all morning and he was finally starting to feel calmer. The other two had volunteered solely to get on his good side, but Zuko didn't know that.

"Ahhh!" Both of the crew mates flew to the other side of the deck from Zuko's attack. Zuko smirked at his victory once again. These two were great firebenders and Zuko had been taking them down as if they were practice dummies. It was turning to be a great day for him.

"Humph!" the ship lurched and Zuko was thrown into the railing on the side. He rubbed his stomach where he made impact and looked up to the bridge. He couldn't see any disturbance up there so someone had changed course.

He raced up the stairs to the control room and burst threw the doors with flaming hands, "Who gave you permission to change course!" Zuko was furious. All the crew that was in the room turned to face him, completely surprised. The only one who was unfazed was his uncle who was sitting at a pai sho table with another member of the crew. "What is the meaning of this?" He demanded.

"I believe this is my fault, Prince Zuko," Iroh told him while moving another tile on the board, "I seem to have misplaced an important tile and I need to stop at a port to see if I can replace it." Iroh was calm though his nephew was radiating anger. He never looked up from the game, only concentrating on his next move.

"You changed our course for a pai sho tile?" Zuko yelled. Smoke was coming off of him and he was shaking with anger.

Iroh made another move and won the game. The crew mate groaned and put his head in his hands. Iroh was unbeatable at the game, "Not just any tile, the lotus tile. It is a very important piece."

Zuko roared in anger and stomped out of the room, throwing his hands up, "I GIVE UP!"

…..

"Wow, this is a fancy puddle," Sokka gaped at the river. It was about thirty feet wide but only about waist deep at the middle. There was a waterfall a little ways down the river and the water was perfectly clear.

"Yeah, do you mind washing Appa while we practice?" Aang asked taking off his shirt and Katara was already in the water, dressed in nothing but her white bindings. "He really needs a bath and he has stuff all between his toes. Afterwards, we can all go swimming and relax." Aang smiled and stripped down to his brown boxers.

He walked into the water and joined Katara. They were below knee deep but the waves would occasionally hit the back of Aang's knees. "So what are we doing first?" Aang asked, anxious to learn something. The quicker he learned water bending the quicker he could move on to the other elements.

"How about we start by pushing and pulling the water," Katara smiled sweetly. She loved being alone with Aang. Well, technically Sokka was a half a mile downstream to brush mud of Appa so they weren't completely alone, "Why is he so far down?"

"Probably so he won't get mud all over us," Aang paused and blushed, "Or he is afraid of seeing something that relates to our previous adventure." They both laughed at Sokka's odd shyness.

"Well, before he changes his mind, let's get started," Katara smiled. She placed her feet about shoulder length apart, one leg in front of the other. It was a powerful stance but at the same time, it allowed quick, sure movements. It allowed her to have freedom to move with the water. "You just take this stance and move your arms with the flow of water, so you really have to feel the push and pull of the currents." Katara was getting lost in her concentration and just babbling on. She loved how enticing waterbending was. It could only be compared to one other thing, or person. She shook her head and watched the waves as she commanded them. She needed to keep a clear head.

"Like this?" Aang assumed her stance and mimicked her perfectly. The waves responded immediately under his command. They moved fluently, almost as graceful as the person ordering them. Aang grinned at his accomplishment and turned towards Katara. "This is easy!"

"Well hold that thought," her grin faltered a little. It had taken her a week to learn to push and pull the water and he grasped the concept within seconds. She brushed it off as him being the Avatar. "Now we're going to stream the water. The idea is to take a small amount of water and move it to your advantage. You can use it quick and it's convenient." He nodded to show her he was paying attention. She assumed a position much like the last, but this time her stance was closer to her center. This made for quicker movements and this way, she could keep the water close to her for defense. She moved her arms in an upward motion and drew them to herself. A small stream of water moved up and to her. But the water was shaky and slow. Katara wasn't as sure with her movements and the water wasn't responding well. She lost concentration and dropped the water with a sigh.

"I think I can do that," Aang mumbled. He took up a stance, more confident than Katara's and moved his arms gracefully and sure. The water came up and streamed around him following his arm's movements. The water spun around him, over his head and to Katara. She watched as Aang moved it back into the river and stood proud with a smile.

"Wow, that took me months to learn," Katara said a little sadly. Katara practiced long and hard to learn her few moves and Aang took them up like it was nothing.

Aang could tell she was really upset so he tried to relieve the tension, "Hey, I have a great teacher helping me. You had to teach yourself with a pessimist brother watching over you. You're doing great." Aang gave her a bright smile which she returned. He may not be great with girls but Aang had a way with making people feel better.

"Thanks Aang," Katara blushed. Aang nodded in response. Katara couldn't help but notice his bare chest. Lately, he had been training harder on their breaks from flying and she had noticed a difference. He and Sokka were working with each other on hand to hand combat and clubbing. Aang was gaining more muscle and it was becoming very obvious. He was still lean but he was bulking up nicely. Katara blushed more.

Little did she know that Aang was observing her too. Katara seemed to look even skinnier down in her bindings but Aang noticed she was developed nicely. He shook his head; they were waterbending here not checking each other out. "So any other moves?"

Katara jerked her mind back to reality and tried to hide her blush, "Um…yeah there's one more. I did it at the blockade but I don't know if I can do it again." Katara took in a deep, steady breath and prepared herself. Aang watched as she struggled with the move and thought back to their adventure when she performed the move.

Aang walked over to her and stood close behind her. "Your stance was different." He put his arms around her outstretched ones and pulled them closer to her center. Then, he took his foot and hooked it around her ankle and pulled it back some. Only then did he realize how close they really were. Her back was brushing against his chest whenever she would breathe and his face was so close to hers that his breath would tickle her ear. "Then you did something like this," he moved his arms in the same motion as before on Appa. The waves were building but Katara dropped her arms and turned to face Aang. His hands moved down to her elbows and her hands rested on his chest. A small smile danced on his lips and Katara was leaning up towards him. His brought his face down until he saw the wave. It was huge. He stood straight and said, "Katara…"

She turned around to see the wave she let go. "Wow," Katara breathed. Aang didn't know if she was talking about the wave or him so he stayed silent and watched the wave go downstream. Unfortunately, that's where Sokka and Appa were. The wave broke on top of them and sent their food racing down the river. Thankfully, their sleeping bags and other clothes were tied down securely so they didn't lose them too.

Aang cleared his throat and stepped back, blushing. Katara came back to earth and realized that they had just made that wave and washed away their food. She blushed at what had happened before that. "We're in so much trouble."

….

And that's how they ended up on a random dock downstream searching for cheap food. "You two are just…ugh," Sokka shook his head and picked up a piece of food. Aang had walked away a few minutes ago for no reason and now Sokka was taking advantage of the opportunity to scorn Katara. "It was bad enough when you could bend, but now that your boyfriend can too…"

"He's not my boyfriend," Katara sighed. They had been having this conversation since Aang left. This was the third time she had to remind him that they weren't together.

"Well friends don't kiss," He glared daggers at her. He picked up a random piece of food and sniffed it. His face twitched and he put down the fruit.

"We haven't kissed, Sokka," Katara blushed thinking about what almost happened in the river. Sokka was examining more fruit so he missed her blush.

He handed the salesperson some money and took the fruit, "All I'm saying is you two are creeping me out. And whenever you two are alone, something like this happens." Sokka pointed his finger at her, "You just found someone as freaky as you and I'm paying for it."

"Guys look what I found!" Aang bounded around the corner interrupting their argument. She glared at Sokka to let him know he didn't win and he just shrugged in response. "It's a bison whistle!" He held out a small white whistle shaped like a bison.

"Does it work?" Sokka asked with a frown. Aang shrugged and Sokka took the whistle from his hands. He looked at it and blew the whistle. No sound was made.

"Maybe you're doing it wrong," Aang began. He made a grab for the whistle but Sokka pulled it back.

"I know how to blow things!" Sokka said defensively. Aang chuckled and stepped back. Katara just looked between Aang and Sokka trying not to laugh.

Aang took a few more steps back, "You know I think Katara and I are just going to go for a walk so you can do your shopping…" Aang grabbed Katara's hand and dragged her away with him, "Your brother is weird." They were walking around the dock trying to avoid her brother.

"Don't remind me," She shook her head and looked around the dock for anything interesting to do. "Hey that looks like an interesting place," She pointed to a ship with orange sails. A man stood next to the docked ship inviting people in to examine their merchandise. Aang walked along with Katara into the ship.

Inside, shelves were full of exotic statues, scrolls, and strange objects neither of them recognized. Katara walked over to a shelf that held scrolls. Aang went to examine random objects with Momo on his shoulder. "Aye, that's a might fine lemur you have there, worth a lot." The man behind the counter gave Aang a wicked smile and the large bird on his shoulder squawked.

Aang cringed and hugged Momo closer to him, "He's not for sale." Aang shuffled back to Katara with Momo in his arms. "Katara…"

Katara held a hand up to stop him. Her sights were set on the scroll in front of her. It had a water tribe emblem on it. She picked it up and unrolled it, "It's a waterbending scroll." She observed the illustrations of the waterbender bending. It was just what she needed! "How much for the scroll?"

The man behind the desk stopped grinning, "Ain't for sale, young lady. Already has a buyer for two hundred gold pieces. Unless you can top that." He turned back around already anticipating her answer.

Katara frowned and turned to Aang who was still trying to talk to her. "They're pirates!" he whispered frantically, "They stole all this stuff. They're dangerous!" His voice was low and rushed. Katara raised her eyebrows; she had an idea. The man behind the counter was still turned around, counting his money. Now was her chance. She rolled up the scroll once again and slipped it into her clothes. She tilted her head towards the door and Aang got the idea.

"Well then, we'll just be going since we can't have what we came for," Aang grabbed Katara by the elbow and steered her out the shop, making sure not to seem in a rush and draw attention. He couldn't believe they were doing something this stupid. They walked down the ramp and made their way to Sokka. After they were out of sight of the ship, they ran. "You're insane!" He yelled as they ran. He had his glider and he decided he would fly them out of here if he could ever find Sokka.

"There!" Katara pointed at a vender's stall. Sokka was standing there flirting with the girl next to him. Aang opened his glider, "Sokka come on!"

Sokka turned around and when he saw their faces he sighed. He was getting tired of their tendency to get in trouble. He told the girl bye and walked over as Katara was climbing on the back of the glider. "Get on!" Aang told him. Sokka threw his bag of food on his back and climbed on next to Katara.

As soon as he was on, Aang took off. "There they go!" Aang saw a knife get thrown up at them. Katara screamed as they barely dodged it. Below them a gang of five pirates stood. "Shoot them down!"

Aang flew higher to get out of range. Sokka was a lot heavier than Katara and his weight was making the glider unbalanced. Aang struggled as more spears and knives were thrown up. "Ah!" Sokka cried. "They got me!" Aang grunted and flew as fast as he could. Soon enough, the yells of pirates was replaced by the sound of wind rushing past them. They got away.

…

Iroh and Zuko stood on the dock. Iroh had gone shopping all day and Zuko had walked around town moping. Now that his uncle retrieved him, he thought Iroh had found the tile and they could get back on course. But Zuko had the worst of luck. "I couldn't find the tile, Prince Zuko," Uncle Iroh told him sadly.

"You mean we came all this way for nothing?" He snarled. This wasn't what he needed. They had lost time for nothing! He was fuming. His uncle was a real hindrance sometimes.

"Well the trip was not a total loss; I did find many other things at a bargain!" Iroh said happily. He smiled as soldiers from his crew hauled arm loads of useless antiques back to the ship. Zuko groaned at the sight. They weren't on vacation! This was war!

Zuko watched as a pirate ran back to the ship. Waiting for him was a large man in colorful clothes with a huge bird perched on his shoulder. They looked sketchy and angry. Not a great combination. Zuko listened in on their conversation, "They got away!"

The larger pirate looked at the man dressed in green. He rubbed his chin and muttered a stream of curses. "Uncle, I want to go on that ship," Zuko nudged his Uncle and nodded towards the ship where the two pirates just disappeared into.

"Great idea nephew, they could have all sorts of exotic things!" Iroh gladly sauntered over with Zuko into the large ship with orange sails. Iroh headed straight for a statue of a monkey with ruby eyes.

Zuko pretended to roam around and look for merchandise but he was eavesdropping on their conversation. "So who took it, the bald kid or the girl?" The larger pirate stood behind his counter hovering over the smaller pirate. Bald kid and girl? He couldn't mean the Avatar and his girlfriend could he?

"It had to be the girl, she was dressed in water tribe clothes after all, she must've been a waterbender," the smaller pirate accused. For a small guy, he had a lot of spunk. He was shaking his fist and spitting out his words. The bird squawked at him.

Zuko smiled, they were exactly who he was looking for, "I could help you with your problem." Zuko made his way to the pirates, "I've been looking for the kid and the girl. What did they steal?"

The larger pirate studied Zuko. Zuko stood under his harsh gaze, "A waterbending scroll. And why do you need them?"

Zuko swallowed. He couldn't just tell them he was the Avatar. They would just find him and take the reward for themselves. Zuko had to play this cool, "He's a fugitive and crook. She's along for the journey. I've been chasing them down for a while. Get your boat ready. They'll be on the river. You can follow us and get your scroll back."

The pirate smiled, "You got a deal."

…

After Katara tended to Sokka's small cut, she pulled the scroll out of her robes, "That's why they were after us?" Sokka was nearing hysterics. He got a minor cut on his arm from the pirates and was not too pleased at that, and now that he found out the reason…"You stole that?"

Katara rolled her eyes and unrolled the scroll, "They stole it too, Sokka. They're pirates. I think the Avatar learning waterbending is more important than them making money off stolen objects." Katara set the scroll down on a tree stump and studied the illustrations. "Before we work together, I really want to learn this one move 'the water whip.' It looks easy enough."

Aang shrugged and gestured for her to go on, "You were the one who stole it after all." He smiled deviously and Katara grinned. Sokka was sitting in the sand studying a map, trying to ignore the two.

Katara turned her attention to the scroll. It mapped out each move in the set. Katara followed the images and lifted her leg and twisted her body and arms to bring the water to her and push it back in a whip like motion. But much to her frustration, the water would only drop after the brought it towards her. No matter what she did, it wouldn't follow her command to whip back.

She flailed her arms and the water shot away and hit Momo and knocked him in the water. Katara gasped and kicked the sand in frustration. Katara repeated the moves again but this time, when she tried to whip the water, it came back at her and hit her in the forehead. Sokka burst out laughing, "I'm sorry, but that's what you get."

Katara rubbed the sore spot on her forehead and narrowed her eyes at her brother, "What do you mean by that?" Katara put her hands on her hips and looked down at Sokka.

He leaned against a tree stump and put down his map so he could look her in the eye, "You screwed Aang over, the scroll was for him and you're hogging it. You're selfish so you deserve what ever bad thing comes to you." He said this all as if it was the most logical thing in the world and she was stupid for not knowing it before. He put his map back up in front of his face.

Katara stomped her foot in anger, "I am not selfish!" Her voice was a near screech and Aang took a step back in fear. Sokka just ignored her since he already made his point.

Aang cleared his throat and began to speak slowly and calmly so he wouldn't upset her further, "Katara you aren't being selfish, just determined. Besides, it won't take me long to learn it so take your time." He proved his point by executing the water whip perfectly and hitting a tree. But this was clearly not the right approach to calm her down.

Her eye twitched and her arms dropped to her side, "Well, Aang, I have no idea why I even stole the thing then! We'll just go take it back now since you're so naturally gifted!" She yelled and pointed her finger at him.

He stood in front of her, emotion void of his face, and never changing. He took in a shallow breath and let it back out in a sigh. "Maybe Sokka was right." He looked away from her and then began to walk into the woods past the shore. Sokka snorted a snide comment about her but she ignored it. She just yelled at her best friend and pushed him away. Sokka was right. She was being selfish.

Katara started to follow him but Sokka stood up and dropped his map, "Don't you go after him. You'll only make things worse. He'll come back on his own time." Katara looked at Sokka who was standing next to her with a hand on her shoulder. "He's under a lot right now and you aren't making it any easier for him. Let him clear his head."

Katara nodded and handed Sokka the scroll, "Can you keep a hold of this until Aang gets back. I don't want to be temped to use it. It's not mine, it's his." Sokka smiled at her and took the scroll, slipping it into his belt.

"You're doing the right thing, you're still selfish though," He said ruining the moment. She slapped his shoulder and pushed him away from her. He could go from wise to an idiot in a split second. Why did she claim him as her brother?

…

It was nearing sunset when Aang came back. He still looked hurt but he didn't speak about that. He didn't even acknowledge Katara's presence. He looked at Sokka and said in a monotone voice, "I found a clearing a ways back. I don't think it's safe for us to sleep by the river."

Sokka started to gather up his things and put them on Appa, "Good thinking. Katara get your stuff." As soon as Sokka said Katara's name, he stole a glance at her only to catch her staring back. They both looked away and Aang sat on Appa's head. Katara picked up her bag and climbed up Appa and joined Sokka at the back of the saddle. "You really screwed up this time," he whispered as Appa took off into the air. She nodded to agree with him. She had screwed up.

After two minutes of awkward flying, they landed in a small clearing. Aang already had a fire going. Aang tied his staff to Appa reigns and walked back into the woods. Sokka was too busy to notice but Katara did. She slipped into the forest behind him and followed him. The forest was creepy at night. The moon cast long, dark shadows and the trees moved slightly with the wind. It was enough to give Katara goose bumps.

Aang walked into the sandy bank of the river and sat down in the shadow of the trees. Katara stood a few feet behind him working up her courage to go talk to him. Swallowing her pride and apologizing wasn't going to be easy for her but he had to do. "Aang," she whispered behind him.

He sighed and stood up to face Katara. "If you're here to yell some more…" But Katara cut him off with a hug. She buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. Aang paused for a moment, completely shocked but put his arms around her too.

"I'm sorry, I was being selfish and stupid and I didn't mean to yell," she was rambling on again trying to apologize for everything but Aang just smiled. After his long walk alone, he had really started to miss her.

"Katara," he interrupted quietly. She looked up to meet him in the eye. He smiled a little more then said, "Just shut up. I already forgave you." She gave him a huge smile then hugged him tighter. She couldn't believe how much she missed the monk in those few short hours.

"Aang," Katara whispered. "Can you teach me how to do the water whip?" She bore her eyes unto his, putting on her best pouting face. It really took a lot for her to ask for help and she wasn't about to take no for an answer.

"I guess, but only because I'm naturally gifted," He gave her a small grin and pulled away from the hug. "By the way, you're very scary when you're mad. Don't do that again." She smiled sweetly and walked over to the water. He followed behind her and began to instruct her, "What you were doing wrong was this: You focused too much on the movements. You have to let it flow. If your focus isn't on the water, it won't obey you." He took his stance and did the water whip again.

"Isn't this sweet?" A menacing voice called out from behind them, "Getting your boyfriend to teach you a few moves?" Zuko stepped out from the shadow of the trees. "Too bad I'm here to break up your little date." He smiled and stalked closer to them.

"What do you want?" Aang demanded. He was in his airbending stance ready for a fight and Katara was taking a waterbending stance.

"My friends and I are here to follow through on an agreement," He shrugged it off. His scar looked menacing in the dark light and his skin was deathly pale from the light of the moon. Katara had a horrible feeling about this.

"Friends?" Aang laughed, "Hey did you ever get that girlfriend we talked about?" He was mocking Zuko and he was getting mad. Before Aang could make another comment bashing Zuko, the pirates ambushed and tied the two to a wide tree. Aang was yelling at Zuko and Katara was thrashing around.

Zuko started pacing around them. Katara was sickened by the guy enough already and now he does this? "You know about that girlfriend thing, I would take the girl here," He got down to Katara's eye level. Katara looked right back at him defiantly and Aang was trying to break free. "She is very pretty," Zuko stood back up straight, "But she's a filthy peasant." He spit in her direction and watched as Aang struggled more.

"Take it back!" Aang yelled, "Or when I get out of here I will make you!" He struggled against the ropes and his face was turning red. Katara just watched Zuko who was smiling. When she got out of this, she was getting revenge.

"That's not such a great idea…" He grinned at Katara, "Because I have something she wants." He pulled something out of his sleeve and held it out in front of her.

Katara's eyes went wide, "You took my mother's necklace? You creep!" Katara tried to kick him but she couldn't reach him because of the ropes so she settled for spitting in his face. Zuko just grimaced at her. Aang stopped struggling to give him a death glare. If looks could kill, Zuko would be in trouble.

….

Sokka woke up with the moon high in the sky. He rubbed his eyes and looked around for Katara and Aang. But he was alone in the clearing, save Appa and Momo. He stood up to get a better look. All of Katara's things were still on Appa unpacked. Sokka sighed; this meant they had been out all night. He packed up his bag and climbed onto Appa. It was the middle of the night and now he had to go save his little sister and her 'boyfriend.' And he knew exactly where they would be: on the water. "Yip yip."

It took all of two minutes for Sokka to find them. He hid Appa behind the tree line so they could make a quick escape. He snuck up behind the semi circle where everything was going on. He saw Aang and Katara tied to a tree with Zuko and pirates making a semi-circle around them. He groaned. This was because of that stupid scroll.

Sokka listened in and tried to think of a plan. "You still haven't told us why you captured us," Aang said clearly annoyed.

Sokka saw Zuko stop pacing and look at Aang, "My friends here want their scroll back and I want you." Zuko's good eye narrowed at Aang as he talked. The pirates behind Zuko were getting restless, ready to get what they came for.

"Seriously, I meant what I said about getting that girlfriend," Aang snorted. Zuko was getting so mad that smoke was billowing off of him. Sokka had a plan! Those pirates obviously must not know Aang is the Avatar, otherwise, they would know their trade wasn't fair. Sokka smiled, this would either be genius or stupid. He went ahead with it anyway despite the odds.

He sprinted out onto the beach behind the tree with Katara and Aang, "He's the Avatar!" Katara's breath caught, Aang stopped yelling and Zuko looked petrified. But the pirates, they were a different story: they had a look of pure greed in their eyes and Sokka knew this was going to work. Sokka pulled out his machete and cut the ropes just as the lead pirate said, "Deal's off, we're leaving with the Avatar. There's bound to be a huge bounty on his head!" All the pirates cheered in agreement and they advanced on the four of them.

"Appa's back there, we can make a run for it," Sokka whispered as the pirates awaited their signal to attack.

Aang shook his head, "Get Appa, I have a plan but I need Katara. Be at the waterfall in a few minutes," Sokka looked at him in disbelief but obeyed. As soon as Sokka sprinted away the pirates attacked. As they charged, Aang airbended a dust cloud around them to give them cover. Fire was flying everywhere and the clanging of swords could be heard. Even Iroh had found his way into the fight.

Aang grabbed Katara's hand and skirted around the edges of the cloud. For good measure, Aang and Katara used the water whip to take out a few pirates in their way. "What are we doing?" Katara asked as Aang took out another pirate in their path.

"We stealing their ship," He said. "Now push and pull the water, we have to get it moving." Katara decided to just go along with it and began to push and pull the water with her bending. The ship was massage and it took a few moments to get the waves big enough to do anything. But soon enough, the ship was making its way down the river. "Hang on," Aang told her as he picked her up and airbended them onto the pirate's ship.

"What do we do now?" Katara asked. The river around them was getting rapid and the water didn't look friendly. Katara was standing on the deck in the front of the ship and Aang had moved to the top deck by the sails.

"Bend the water and make the ship go faster, I'll do the same with the sails," Aang smiled, "we're sending their ship over the waterfall."

Katara grinned and began to push and pull the water. It was making a gigantic wave for the ship to ride on. Aang was airbending air into the sails making the boat reach top speed. "They're following us in Zuko's ship!" Katara yelled back to Aang.

He looked back and saw she spoke the truth. The small ship Zuko sailed there in was overrun with pirates. They wouldn't reach their ship in time; their ship was going to slow to reach Aang and Katara. "They're going to follow us over the edge."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Katara asked bending more water. The ship was making unbelievable time and they waterfall was quickly approaching. The trees around them were a blur and the water was stinging her face. The roar of the waterfall and the whiz of the wind were deafening.

"No," Aang admitted. He was still bending air into the large orange sails. They had long ago assured their escape from the pirates but he didn't want to take his chances just to be lazy and stop bending. "Here comes the waterfall!" Aang jumped down onto the lower deck and ran to Katara. He took her hand and they readied themselves, "And soon as the boat goes over, jump!" He was screaming over the roar of the waterfall but he had to make sure she heard.

"What if Sokka doesn't make it in time?" Katara yelled back. She wouldn't let Aang know this, but she was terrified. She didn't feel like diving to her death, even if it was with him.

"You're the optimist here!" He screamed. The boat was starting to tilt and all the boxes on deck began to slide, "One!" Katara welded herself to Aang. She couldn't let go. Her feet were starting to slide, "Two!" The boat was clearing the waterfall, a ninety degree drop. Boxes were flying everywhere and they were about to too, "Three!" And together they jumped.

"Ahhhh!" Katara was screaming as she held Aang's hand. They were falling spread eagle joined at the hand. Aang was laughing; this wasn't strange territory for an airbender. He was actually kind of enjoying the dive unlike Katara.

Katara closed her eyes, suddenly feeling sick from watching the blur of her surroundings. This was the worst idea ever. "Roar!" and the next thing she knew she was laying next to Aang on Appa's saddle.

"Ugh," she groaned and rubbed her head. Aang was still kind of chuckling and holding her hand, "You're insane." She rolled onto her back and let go of his hand. The sky was no longer a blur, it was its normal self. She enjoyed the view, very much grateful.

"That was some great waterbending," Aang stopped laughing and sat up, "You even mastered the water whip!" He gave her a huge smile. It only took her getting captured and threatened by pirates and fire nation to bring out the waterbending skill.

"Just keep flying, air boy."

….

"Zuko, our ship is gone!" Iroh skidded to a stop. The waterfall was right next to them and they were on the shore line, looking over the cliff, "The pirates have it."

Zuko was trembling with fury, "I have no Avatar, I have no ship….UGH!" he firebended a wall of fire away from him to release his anger. This job was infuriating. The kid was only sixteen! Iroh watched his nephew while crossing his arms into his sleeves.

Iroh began to laugh softly, "Our trip was not in vain, Prince Zuko look what I found!" He pulled his arm out of his sleeve holding a single pai sho tile. "The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!" the old man had a huge grin plastered on his face and was softly chuckling. Zuko rubbed his temples training to subdue his oncoming headache.

What had he done to deserve this? "Let's go, Uncle." Iroh continued to smile and laugh and Zuko couldn't have been madder. All this happened because of that stupid tile! He swore he wasn't going to play pai sho again with his uncle or anyone else.

Maybe he would after he caught the Avatar. But that seemed to be an impossibility. He needed something better…he needed a plan, a disguise. Zuko smiled, his plan would take a while, but it would happen. He would catch the Avatar.

**So see that little box down there? Yeah, you should definitely leave a comment and tell me what you think or something. I mean, I can only improve if y'all point stuff out of give advice! Thanks for reading!**


	9. Jet

** I would like to thank all my amazing reviewers! You guys are the reason I keep writing this! And a huge thank you to ****Dinobot14 for the amazing review! ****Now who's ready for some drama? I've been dying to write this chapter and you'll quickly find out Jet wasn't one of my favorite characters. But he is important in my story too, so prepare yourselves for this! Enjoy!**

The group of three was packing up their camp as usual. Aang was putting out the fire, Katara was rolling up the sleeping bags and Sokka was reading another map. They were in another forest surrounded by trees. The colors were different though. The leaves were dark red and brown. The trees were much taller and fuller than the three were used to. While it was beautiful, it was a little disorientating.

"I've been thinking," Sokka put his map down and looked at Aang and Katara as they finished packing. "I nominate and elect myself as group leader." He puffed out his chest in pride and gives them a look saying not to question him.

"Who gave you the authority to do that?" Katara challenged. She had her hands on her hips as it was her habit to do so when annoyed or angry. "And why did this come up all of a sudden? I thought things were going pretty good."

Sokka shook his head and rolled up his map, sticking it in his bag, "You and Aang have left me too many times to go on your little 'love adventures'…"

Katara dropped her arms and hung her head. Aang was turning red and rubbing his neck. Katara sighed, "Sokka not this again." Katara thought he was done using the term but much to her displeasure, he was apparently just getting started.

Sokka held up his hands to signal he meant no offense, "Nevertheless, you two have been leaving me behind. Not only is that dangerous but its mean!" He whined and pointed at the two, "So I made myself leader to prohibit this kind of stuff, for the safety of the group. We can't afford any more distractions or adventures."

"So you're doing this because you got your feelings hurt?" Aang asked with a small laugh. Sokka was already overdramatic but this was a whole new level for him. He was going to start ordering the two around just so he gets to go on adventures too.

"No!" Sokka said defensively, "Ok maybe a little," he admitted with a frown. "But I was serious about you two having too many side adventures and wasting our time by coming back to find me."

"I thought you didn't want to know what happened on our 'adventures' and now you want to tag along?" Katara asked with a raised eyebrow. Sokka opened his mouth to respond but closed it. He kicked a nearby stick and screamed. A snake hissed at him and slithered away.

"Ahhh, that was a snake," he was hyperventilating and clutching his chest. Aang and Katara were watching the spectacle with smiles. He deserved that one, "Anyway, as the new leader, I say we should walk on foot for a while."

Aang jaw dropped, "Walk, are you crazy? We have a giant flying bison!" he pointed back to Appa who grunted in agreement. Aang didn't understand why Sokka would want to waste valuable time and energy _walking_ to the North Pole. "And you just kicked a snake! What if we get bitten?"

"It makes sense to walk because the fire nation is expecting us to fly, my instincts tell me it's better to walk," Sokka reasoned with Aang. "And we won't get bitten…" he said uncertainly looking about the ground for more slithering creatures.

"I'm with Aang on this one, we'll only be wasting more time by walking," Katara interjected. She didn't like the idea of walking any more than Aang and the idea seemed stupid when they had a great way of traveling already.

"I'm the leader and what I say goes!" Sokka's voice cracked on the last word. He squeaked in embarrassment and Aang laughed.

Katara gasped, "You're doing this because you're just jealous Aang's voice stopped cracking and yours hasn't!" Katara and Aang were laughing openly but Sokka wasn't amused. He brushed some rocks around with his foot and blushed. That was _not_ the reason he wanted to be group leader. But he did notice Aang's voice did stop cracking and get deeper.

"And don't forget, he's jealous we leave him out of our 'adventures'," Aang laughed more and Katara started to grip her side and try to catch her breath. The both of them were really enjoying this time to make fun of Sokka since normally it was the other way around.

"That's it!" Sokka yelled, "We are leaving now, on foot!" He grabbed his bag, threw it over his back and began to walk out of the clearing.

Aang and Katara watched him go and decided it couldn't hurt to let Sokka have his way for a while; he would eventually get tired of walking after a while. Appa grunted but followed them too. "Have you guys seen Momo?" Aang asked after they caught up with Sokka.

"No," Sokka said angrily, "He's probably finding food without me!" Sokka gritted his teeth; he had really started to miss meat. Aang was a vegetarian and he wouldn't let Sokka buy meat at the market and Sokka had no idea how to hunt animals out here.

"You probably wouldn't be so grumpy if you kissed a girl," Katara muttered to Sokka. His complaints and groaning had really taken a toll on Katara. She already had problems tolerating her brother before, but now he was ten times worse.

"I have kissed plenty of girls!" Sokka said defensively. Aang laughed at Sokka. His voice had raised an octave and he was turning red. Sokka liked to embarrass Aang and Katara so this was refreshing to them.

"Gran Gran doesn't count," Katara grinned, crossing her arms. Aang looked between the two and tried not to laugh. Katara was looking satisfied with herself. Though she had never kissed a guy, she had gotten pretty close with Aang a few times. She thought that gave her enough leverage to make fun of Sokka.

"I bet Aang's never kissed a girl either," Sokka said with his nose in the air. He wasn't about to lose this argument. His pride was at stake!

"I was raised at the temple as a monk. There wasn't a girl in sight," Aang reminded him. He wasn't about to tell Sokka he and Katara had a few close calls. He felt like living another day. Katara smiled at Aang for the backup.

"This is pointless…" but Sokka was caught off guard. All of sudden, he was being hoisted into the air in a small cage. "Ah!" Sokka cried pushing the bars of the circular cage. He was trapped! "Guys, get me down from here!" Sokka yelled down at them.

Aang sighed and airbended onto the branch holding Sokka. He sawed at the rope of the cage with airbending. "Sokka, I think the universe wants you to shut up and leave us alone," Aang teased him. Sokka grumbled in response. Aang looked over while sawing at the rope and gasped, "Momo! He's trapped in one too!" Aang left Sokka's branch and leaped over to the one holding Momo and began to saw at his rope.

"You can't just leave…ugh!" Sokka thrashing around made the rope weaker and dropped him to the ground, flat on his face. "The universe hates me…." He lay in the dirt for a minute trying to get the strength to stand up.

Aang sawed through Momo's rope and he flew down to the ground with his lemur. "You okay, Sokka?" Aang asked innocently, landing next to Katara. She was staring at Sokka who was still laying face down in the dirt.

"You left me for a lemur," Sokka grumbled finally pulling himself up. He began dusting the dirt off his clothes and picking red leaves out of his hair that was still pulled in his ponytail. He was leader of this group and being disrespected horribly.

"It's Momo," Aang smiled goofily, "And he doesn't make fun of us and order us around." Sokka glared at the monk and began walking again, eager to reach the North Pole and get this adventure over with.

"Just go make out with my sister or something," Sokka grumbled, stomping along. Katara and Aang looked at each other, both turning redder than the leaves around them. They turned away from each other and followed Sokka. They should've left him in the cage.

…..

"Are you instincts telling you we can fly now, oh great leader?" Aang complained from the back of the group. Being an airbender, he much rather fly than walk. They had been walking for at least two hours and his feet were going to start blistering soon.

"Shut it, Airhead!" Sokka shouted from ahead. They were walking in a straight line: Sokka in the front, Katara behind Sokka, Momo behind her, and Aang and Appa at the back. They weren't moving very fast and they were all getting grumpy. "I have a good feeling…"

As they walked through some bushes, they saw exactly what they were hiding from: A whole camp of fire nation soldiers. "Hi!" Aang waved. He started to back up slowly with the rest of the group.

"Let us leave, and we won't hurt anyone," Sokka held his hands up as he was walking backwards. All the soldiers had their weapons ready and the firebenders were ready to attack. Aang grabbed Katara's hand and pulled her back so more.

"Hurt us?" The man who was leading the group laughed. It wasn't a good laugh either. It was one of those short, loud laughs, the ones that let you know that he didn't find your joke funny. The man shot his fist out and firebended at the three teenagers. Aang jumped in front of them, and with his staff, airbended the fire away.

"He's the Avatar!" One of the men shouted. Aang swore under his breath and prepared for a fight. The leader moved to firebend again, but out of nowhere, a guy dropped down on top of him and knocked him to the ground. Aang recovered from his moment of shock and airbended the guy closest to him into a tree.

Katara bended the water out of her pouch and water whipped the soldier in front of her. She smiled at her advancements in waterbending.

Sokka took out his club and ran to the nearest soldier, but before he could club him, the same guy who dropped down earlier used a pair of hook swords to take the soldier down. "Ah!" Sokka yelled at the guy.

"Be quicker next time," he grinned at Sokka and ran to take out more soldiers. At the same time, more people dropped from the trees and each began to take out soldiers left and right. It wasn't much of a fight and Aang only took down three soldiers. Katara took down two and Sokka only clubbed one who was already on the ground knock out.

Katara waterbended the water back into her pouch and looked around for Aang and Sokka. "Hey there, I'm Jet," The guy who started the fight walked up to Katara. He had dark, messy hair that stuck up everywhere. His eyes were dark brown and his skin not much lighter than hers. He was taller than her, about the height of Aang but had a cocky smile and a strange glint in his eyes. He was handsome, Katara thought, but not in the same way as Aang was. "Your timing was perfect, we were just about to attack the camp here," he chewed on the piece of straw in his mouth and smiled at her.

"I'm Katara," she introduced herself. Aang was watching across camp with Sokka. The guy was talking to Katara and standing too close for Aang's comfort. His stomach twisted and lurched in pain. He grimaced at the boy with Katara. He wasn't jealous was he? He didn't know, he had never felt this emotion before, but it was bubbling inside of him and he wanted nothing more than to make Sokka go be a good brother and beat the guy up. Aang would do it himself but he didn't need Katara mad at him. Aang decided to walk up to the two.

"Hey, I'm Aang," He walked up to stand next to Katara. He held out his hand, "Nice fighting back there." Aang stared the guy in the eyes. They were both eye level and both sizing each other up. Aang had a bad feeling about this guy and was trying to make it clear. Katara watched Aang curiously.

"Jet," He said not extending his hand. Aang's eye twitched. Well, he tried being polite. He brought his hand back and the two stared at each other. "So you're an airbender?" Jet asked skeptically.

"Yeah, I'm a master," Aang narrowed his eyes, "I'm also a waterbender." Jet blinked. The guy was the Avatar! He tried his best not to look surprised. Aang just stood with his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. Katara watched the two, completely appalled at Aang's behavior.

"Jet!" Someone behind them yelled, "We found blasting jelly!" Jet nodded and told them to take it back to the hideout. Aang observed the other people around them. They all looked different, oddly dressed, and young.

"I forgot to mention," Jet smiled at Katara, "These are the Freedom Fighters. Smellerbee, Longshot, Pipsqueak, and The Duke," He pointed to a skinny, short kid who he called Smellerbee; the kid had short hair and a painted face. Next he pointed to a tall boy with a hat covering most of his face. He was carrying a bow and arrows. Lastly, he pointed to a large guy and a really small kid with a helmet way too big for him.

"Pipsqueak?" Aang asked. He assumed it was the small kid who they called that. "That's a funny name." Aang chuckled.

"You think my name's funny?" The big guy asked in a booming voice. Aang's face turned to shock and he coughed. The guy was staring at him awaiting his answer.

"It's hilarious!" Aang laughed. The big guy laughed along with him and picked up a barrel of what Aang assumed was blasting jelly. Sokka walked up to the three and stood with his arms crossed.

"That's my brother Sokka," Katara introduced him to Jet. Aang grimaced at their exchange and saw Sokka do that same. Aang met eyes with Sokka and they both silently agreed they didn't like the guy. Sokka mainly hated him because he was the reason he fought no one.

"Nice to meet you," Jet smiled. Aang frowned more at Jet's niceness towards Sokka. Sokka rolled his eyes at the guy and pretended not to listen.

"Why do you have straw in your mouth?" Aang finally asked. It was bothering Aang the whole time. Whenever Jet would talk, the straw would move up and down with his mouth and get really annoying.

"Why do you ask stupid questions?" Jet retorted. Aang grimaced and clenched his fists. Sokka laughed under his breath and smiled at Aang, letting him know he just got beat. Katara looked between the two, confused.

"So you guys want to come to my hideout and have dinner, we'd love to treat the people who just helped us win an important battle," Jet said only to Katara. Sokka narrowed his eyes at the guy and Aang crossed his arms tighter. Monks were normally peaceful people but all Aang wanted to do at the moment was punch the guy in the face.

"Sure!" Katara smiled excitedly, "Can we Aang?" Katara looked up at Aang with a huge smile on her face. She placed her hand on one of his crossed arms and Aang smiled a little. Despite his anger at Jet, Katara still had an effect on him. Jet frowned at the exchange at the same time Sokka smiled.

"I guess we can go for a little while," Aang smiled at her, "But we have to be leaving soon." Katara gave his arm a quick squeeze and nodded to Jet.

Jet grinned and two ropes dropped down from the tree tops. "Grab on to that Sokka," Jet told him. Sokka obeyed and was yanked up by the rope with a yell. Jet grabbed Katara's hand and pulled her into his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and grabbed the rope. Katara blushed and looked away, down at Aang.

He glared at the two, mainly Jet, and airbended his way up to everyone. This Jet guy was getting on his bad side fast. "So you don't like him either?" Sokka asked when Aang got up to the board walk. The path must've led to the hideout. They began to walk.

"Not at all," Aang grumbled. Jet was a cocky guy who was taking a liking to Katara. That was enough for Aang. Aang and Sokka were walking a good ways behind Katara and Jet.

"Me neither," Sokka admitted, "To be honest, I rather you make a move on my sister than him. At least I know you'll treat her well and protect her." Sokka looked at the two walking ahead of him. He gave Aang a hard time about Katara, but in reality, he liked the kid. He was good to his sister and she was head over heels for him. Aang was a powerful guy but he had a way with Katara. If Sokka was going to give any guy permission to hit on his sister, it would be Aang.

Aang nodded to agree, "We have to protect her from this guy." Aang watched Katara. She and Jet were talking and from their body language, it was a pretty serious conversation; Aang longed to know what she was saying. Jet moved closer to her and looked down at her. Aang trembled with anger.

"I agree," Sokka mumbled, "Something's not right about him. So at all times, one of us have to be with her, she can't be alone with him." Sokka narrowed his eyes at Jet. He put a hand on Katara's shoulder and Sokka wanted to push the guy out of the trees for touching his sister.

"I can do that," Aang said. "But we shouldn't try to talk her out of being friends with him. It'll only drive her to do the opposite." Aang knew that Katara was an independent person and didn't like to be told what to do. He admired that about her.

"It's scary how well you understand her," Sokka shook his head. He picked a red leaf of the tree branch they just passed and ripped it up.

"You're okay with me liking her?" Aang asked out of nowhere. Their dad wasn't around to give Aang permission but Aang would settle for Sokka. Something told Aang he was probably more protective than his dad anyway.

"Yeah, surprisingly, I just like to give you a hard time."

While Aang and Sokka were having their conversation, Katara and Jet were having their own. It was a conversation Katara rather not have with someone she just met, but she gritted her teeth and went along anyway.

"So what's your story?" Jet asked after he let go of her and set her down on the board walk. "What did the fire nation do to you?"

It seemed to be a very forward question to Katara. Most people don't just come out and ask something like that. It struck Katara as strange, but she told him anyway, "When I was little, my tribe was attacked by the fire nation. They killed my mother. All the men in my village went to war after that, including my dad. I stayed with Sokka and my Gran Gran. All I have left of my mother was taken from me. She gave me a necklace but the guy tracking us took it for bait." Katara sighed. She and Aang had this conversation before. It was hard for her, but Aang understood her pain. He had his whole life destroyed.

"I'm sorry," Jet put a hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her, "The fire nation attacked my village and killed my parents. I was only eight." Jet's face fell in pain. Katara frowned. The fire nation destroyed so many lives and families. It was horrible. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Jet.

…..

"You guys go ahead and take a seat, I'll be right back," Jet told them. Well, he mainly told Katara and the others somehow got included in the exchange. They sat down on some mats at the low table. Aang sat down and Katara sat down on his right side. Sokka sat a seat down from Katara trying to give them some space.

"Talk about anything good with, Jet?" Aang asked curiously. He didn't want to pry but he had been dying to know what was going on with them. Aang didn't want it to be called nosey…

"We talked about our parents…"Katara said quietly. Aang fell silent. He was very aware of her and Sokka's story. They both had given him an account of it. They both trusted him a great deal.

Aang took her hand in his and he gave her a small smile, "You know you're really strong, right?" Aang loved to complement Katara. Her face would light up at the small gesture and it would bring a smile to his face as well.

This time was no different. Her cheeks flushed and her smile became bright. "Thanks, Aang." He squeezed her hand and let it go, afraid to overstep his boundaries with her. He hated to impose on Katara. And now that Jet was here, he really didn't want to push her. Things would get really ugly very fast.

Jet walked back and sat between Sokka and Katara. She gave him a warm smile and Sokka groaned. He wanted Aang to talk to her and now his plan had backfired. He didn't think that jerk would sit next to her. Aang's face heated up in anger. "We had a great victory today," Jet announced loudly, "The fire nation thinks they don't have to worry about a bunch of kids, but we showed them!" He raised his cup and laughed along with everyone. They all drank and dinner began.

And throughout the entire dinner, Jet and Aang fought for Katara's attention. Jet and Aang would both try to offer her food, they would both try to tell stories and both would shoot each other bad looks. But Jet was relentless. He still fought on, determined to put the kid in his place.

Jet smiled at Katara, "So what do you think of our hideout?" He placed a hand on her knee to catch her attention. Katara glanced at his hand. Aang never had the nerve to do something like that. He would normally grab her hand, shoulder, her upper back when talking to get her attention but he never touch her leg. She was a little abashed at Jet's nerve, "Pretty cool right?"

Katara nodded still looking at his unmoved hand, "Yeah, definitely." Aang noticed Jet's hand too. He could tell it was making Katara uneasy but he couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing. Katara glanced up at Aang who was also staring at Jet's hand on Katara's knee. He looked up and caught her eyes. She averted her eyes quickly.

Jet never took his hand back but he did turn his attention to Sokka, "So how would you like to redeem yourself by going on a mission?" Jet watched as Sokka stopped stuffing his mouth with food. He nodded at Jet, "We're going tomorrow morning if you want to join us." Sokka nodded and turned back to his food.

After dinner, Jet showed them all to their room and left them to go to his own. The room had four hammocks and was pretty small. But they wouldn't be staying long so it was no problem to them.

"So what do you think of Jet?" Sokka asked Katara while laying on one of the bottom hammocks. Aang took the top one across the room, away from Sokka. Katara sat on the one below Aang.

"He's okay, he's really doing something good here," Katara said with a smile, "I really admire how they work to stop the fire nation, even if they are just a band of kids. It's great!" Aang and Sokka glared at each other, really not liking her answer.

"You trust this guy?" Sokka asked pulling a blanket over him. He certainly did not trust Jet, and neither did Aang. He was hoping Katara would see sense too.

"Yes, don't you?" She asked both of them. Aang remained silent and Sokka thought for a moment.

"Not really," Sokka admitted turning his back to Katara, trying to get comfortable, "I just have a feeling about the guy and it isn't good. Maybe it's just my instincts." He shrugged and fell asleep. Aang lay on the top hammock and stayed silent.

"Goodnight, Aang," Katara sighed. She pulled her blankets up and tried to quiet her thoughts.

"Goodnight."

…

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, Jet slipped into the room where the three were sleeping. He looked at Katara for a moment and turned to Sokka. He shook him awake, "Come on, it's time for the mission." Sokka sighed and pulled himself out of bed. He slipped his boats on and grabbed his boomerang and club and followed Jet out of the room.

"Why are we leaving so early?" Sokka complained. He was rubbing the sleep out his eyes and yawning. The morning sun was reflecting off the leaves making them a fire red. It was really beautiful to see but Sokka wasn't a morning person.

"Our sources told us around this time," Jet explained. They met up with a few other freedom fighters and swung a few trees over. Sokka felt bad he couldn't remember their names but he hoped he didn't have to. "We're waiting for a fire nation spy to walk by."

They all took their positions and Jet and Sokka waited in the same tree. Sokka pulled out his whale tooth knife and jammed it into the tree. Jet looked up in surprise and pointed to the knife. "It amplifies sounds to signal if anyone is coming." Jet smiled and nodded and turned his gaze back down. "Someone's coming, but it's just one person," Sokka said with his ear to the knife. Jet whistled a signal to the other fighters.

Jet nodded and swooped down. Sokka followed after pulled his knife out the tree. They landed on a dirt path and there in front of them was an old man, walking on a cane and dressed in red. "Who sent you?" Jet demanded in a yell.

"Young man, I have no idea what you are talking about…" The old man stuttered. He clutched his cane and his eyes filled with fear.

Sokka frowned, "He's just an old man Jet, and this is a false alarm." Sokka stepped forward to stand up for the man. The fire nation man looked up gratefully to Sokka but Jet grimaced.

"He's fire nation, Sokka!" Jet yelled, "Remember what they did to your mother?" Jet's group surrounded the old man and Sokka stood with his club in hand. But he didn't plan on using it on the fire nation man.

"He's defenseless! And you're evil!" Sokka lifted his club to strike Jet but he dodged it and knocked the club out of his hand. He pushed Sokka to the ground and then turned to the old man. He kicked him down and searched him. Sokka tried to pull himself up out of the dirt.

"Come on Sokka, we're going back." Jet walked off leaving Sokka to himself. Sokka picked up his club and rubbed his arm.

"Thank you," The old man wheezed out. Sokka helped him up and nodded. He had to warn the others about Jet.

…

Aang woke up before Katara and walked around the room, trying to gather his thoughts. He was going to tell Katara about his horrible feeling towards Jet. He couldn't let her get hurt by this idiot. He had to protect her.

Aang stopped his pacing when he heard Katara get up. She smiled at Aang and stretched. "Good morning, Aang," she put a hand on his shoulder and then began to walk out the room. It was amazing how she could get out of bed, do her hair, put on her shoes and look amazing.

"Katara, wait, I need to talk to you," Aang watched as she paused in the doorway. She turned around to face him. His eyes were dark and his face somber. Whatever he had to talk about, Katara knew it wasn't good.

She walked back and stood in front of him, "What is it?" She watched as his eyes darted to avoid hers. "Aang…" she walked closer and put a hand on his arm.

"Katara, I want you to be careful around Jet, something's not right about him," Aang made a point to meet her eyes. Her reaction was exactly as he expected. She dropped her hand and paused for a second.

A lot raced through her mind. Jet had been great to them. He even gave Sokka a chance to go on a mission. He saved them from the camp. "What do you mean?" She asked eyes widening.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a hard conversation to have. He should've never brought it up. But as he looked up and saw her: eyes bright blue and trusting, jaw set in determination, he knew he had to say something. "I think Sokka's instincts are right. Jet….something just isn't right with him."

"Are we talking about the same instincts that walked us straight into a fire nation camp?" Katara's voice raised a few levels. Aang knew it was because she trusted Jet. And he knew this conversation was too late to stop her from getting hurt.

"Yes," Aang frowned, "But I think it too. He wants you to feel sorry for him. It's like pity love or something. He's trying to take advantage of you. He knows you can trust people. I'm sure he's going to try and use that against you." Aang tried to keep his voice level but anger was bubbling inside of him. He was furious just thinking of the guy using her.

"Thanks for your concern, Aang but I think I can take care of myself," Katara said sharply. Here her best friend was, trying to run her life. She thought she knew Aang better than that. She thought she could trust him to understand, "But I think you're just mad and jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Aang's voice rose, "That I can't take advantage of anyone who comes my way? Look he's bad news, when are you going to see that?" He was approaching maximum volume now and was moving closer to get in her face.

"No, jealous he can get my attention!" Katara yelled back, also moving to stare him in the face. Her jaw was set and her hands on her hips. Her voice was shrill and her eyes determined. This was worse than any argument they had before.

"I didn't think your attention was something I had to work for!" Aang shouted, "I thought you just gave it away like you did with Jet! And him touching you like that…"

"Shut up, Aang!" Katara shouted, "You know nothing!" she was about to walk away but Aang grabbed her wrist and twirled her back around to face him.

"I know you!" He said angrily, "And don't tell me I don't! I know you don't like people telling you what to do and I sure know that you don't like people using you! That's what he is doing! He doesn't love you Katara, he wants to use you! Even Sokka knows it!"

Katara pushed him back and pointed her finger in his face. Her face was red and she was shaking in anger. Aang was a mirror image, "Just because you are the Avatar doesn't mean you know the best! And you know nothing of love!"

Aang's face reflected hurt at the last comment, "I know nothing of love? What makes you say that?" He pointed his finger at her too and towered over her.

She looked up at him and grimaced, "Love is understanding, Aang it's not yelling and judging. Love doesn't do that. You know nothing of love!" She screamed again.

Aang paused and they both met eyes. All their anger transferred in that one look. Then Aang did something out of nowhere. He took her face in his hands and looked her straight in the eyes, "I love you, I know plenty about that." Then he leaned forward before she could say otherwise.

For the first time, their lips met. Katara's eyes were wide at first but she quickly gave into the kiss she had waited so long for. Aang pulled her closer and she ran her hands up to his chest. Their lips moved against each others and the moment was pure bliss. They forgot about the argument, about Jet and about Sokka's jokes. All they could think about was the kiss that had been building since the beginning of the trip.

But something in Katara's head clicked. She was supposed to be mad at Aang. He was accusing Jet of using her and she was telling him off. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was not how she planned her first kiss. But it felt amazing. Their lips parted and they pulled back.

Aang's grey eyes melted Katara's blue ones. She was trying to steady her breathing and Aang was smiling faintly. "That wasn't supposed to happen," Aang admitted, "I'm sorry…"

"Shut up," Katara interrupted putting her hand up. She closed her eyes and sighed, "It happened, and you aren't going to pretend it didn't."

His eyes bugged out, "Who said I was going to…"

"I need some time to think, I'm still mad," She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I can take care of myself and I don't need you trying to protect me from anything. Just give me some time to cool off, then we'll talk. Just don't make me anymore mad right now."

Aang blinked and then nodded his head, "I didn't mean to yell…" she held her hand up again as a warning. He took it then closed his mouth. He studied her face. He had never seen so many mixed emotions. He nodded and sat down on a hammock. "I'll wait until you aren't angry anymore then…"

"No time for that," Sokka came in panting. He leaned on the door post to catch his breath, "Jet attacked me and an old man. He's crazy!" Katara avoided Aang's eyes, he was right, and she just spent all that time defending the jerk!

"Where is he?" Aang stood up. Sokka waved his hand to order them to follow him. Aang started to walk out the door behind him.

Katara grabbed his hand and stopped him, "Aang I'm…" He shook his head and let go of his hand and walked out. Katara held her emotions in and put on her brave face. She just ruined everything.

….

"Jet!" Aang burst threw Jet's door flanked by Sokka and Katara, "What's your problem?" Aang stood over Jet, who was sitting on his bed. Jet's eyes flickered to Katara. She wasn't looking at any of them and her face was red. Sokka must've told them!

"What did he tell you?" Jet asked quietly. He hung his hand and rested his elbows on his knees.

"That you attacked him and an innocent old man!" Aang waved his arms around in anger. Jet had caused a lot of problems for Aang, especially with Katara. Now it was time to let it out.

"He didn't tell you he attacked me first and that the old man was fire nation?" Jet lifted his head up. Sokka met his eyes and stared daggers. Aang stood with hands clenched.

Katara looked at Aang then at Jet. Things were confusing for her but she did what she thought was best at the moment. Jet was being ganged up on and Aang was mad at her. Well she could be mad right back, "No he left that out."

"Well no harm done, right Sokka?" Jet asked innocently, "But that old man you defended was sent to kill me. We found a dagger on him filled with poison. But like I said, no harm done, what's done is done," he shrugged. "But I do need your help Katara," Jet met Katara's eyes. She was devoid of any emotion but that fact didn't register with Jet, "I need you to fill up a reservoir to help a village downstream. And if Aang could help, that would be even better."

Aang looked at Jet with hatred. He was the source of tension right now. "We'll help," Katara stated. Aang looked at her and then stormed out of the room. Sokka glared at her then left to. Now it was just her and Jet.

"Thank you, Katara," Jet stood up. He walked over to her and took her hand, "it really means a lot." He smiled and his other hand traced down her jaw and leaned in closer.

She stepped back. His hands were rough and hard, not at all like Aang's soft, graceful ones. It felt horrible. She felt horrible. "I have to go."

…..

That night, Katara and Aang both skipped dinner. "What were you thinking, why did you agree without asking me?" Aang paced the room. Katara was sitting in her hammock, knees drawn into her chest. She couldn't stop feeling guilty about Jet almost kissing her.

"Just do this for me, Aang," Katara pulled her blankets up and rolled over so her back faced him. He sighed at her unwillingness to talk. He was sure it was his fault, but it was easier to blame Jet.

Aang looked at Katara and walked out the room to find Sokka. Katara rolled over onto her back, "What is wrong with me?"

Aang walked to the dinner area and found Sokka just leaving the table, finally done stuffing his face. He looked up at Aang and sighed, "What now?" he asked. Aang had been grouchy all day and he was sure it was because he and Katara had a fight. He didn't want to get dragged into that…

"I have a plan," Aang told him. Sokka's eyes lit up and a grin plastered itself to his face. He nodded and followed Aang. They walked slowly back to their room. "I need you to follow Jet and them tonight. I heard Smellerbee say something about them going to a dam. I need you to find out what they're doing. Jet's coming to get us in the morning so I can't go."

Sokka grinned more, "Secret missions!" Aang nodded with a laugh. His orange and yellow clothes were blowing with the wind making him shiver. It was cold tonight and he was ready to climb into the warm bed. "I'll do it. Now what's going on with you and Katara?"

Aang grunted and they stood outside their room. Katara was probably asleep so he decided it was safe enough to talk, "I tried to warn her about Jet. She got mad. I got mad. I kissed her. She kissed me back. Then she went all weird."

Sokka nodded, "You're problem is your gross enough to kiss my sister. I mean really…" Sokka laughed but Aang just stared at him. Aang didn't find anything funny, "But you think she would spaz out from happiness."

Aang shrugged, "I didn't mean to do it. I caught myself off guard. But I had to do something. I really care about her, and if this Jet guy does something to her…." Sokka stopped him fully understanding.

"We'll beat him good if he does." Katara smiled behind her blankets. Aang cared about her…at least he was sincere about that.

…..

Sokka followed Jet out of his room. The night was dark and the trees cast long shadows giving Sokka plenty of cover. It took all of his strength to not jump out and push the guy out of a tree for everything he did.

Jet jumped down to the ground and after a few moments, Sokka stealthily followed. Jet was weaving through trees and shrubs taking many turns. It was obvious he didn't want to be caught or followed.

Jet suddenly stopped and Sokka stepped on a twig trying to stop himself. The noise was deafening in the silent night. Jet turned around and looked for any disturbance. Sokka held his breath as his eyes scanned the bush he was hiding behind. But Jet turned back around and Sokka let out his breath.

"Jet, we got the blasting jelly set up," Smellerbee appeared out of nowhere. Sokka held in a squeal and bit down on his tongue. Blasting jelly?

"Good, now don't forget, wait for my signal," Jet warned him. Sokka paused was Smellerbee and guy or a girl. He shook his head and focused on the conversation. "If the dam isn't full enough, people in the village could survive."

Sokka's eyes bugged out and he stepped back. Jet was going to blow up the dam and kill everyone in the village! Sokka tried to quietly retreat but he ran into something huge, "Going somewhere?" Pipsqueak boomed. Jet and Smellerbee jerked their heads back and saw Sokka.

"Take him away, he can't tell the others!"

…

Last night, Jet told Aang and Katara where to meet him in the morning and now Katara was dragging Aang. Well, not in the strictest terms. Aang was only following along to get back on her good side.

The sun was just coming up and the leaves around them were glittering with dew. A slight breeze was blowing around them and the air was crisp. This had to be the first time Aang experience such a beautiful morning in such a rotten mood.

"Hey guys!" Jet greeted them. He was standing on the river bank with his hands in his pockets. There were holes in the ground around him and he had bags under his eyes. Aang had been right, he was out last night! "So the plan is to waterbend the water out of these geysers into the river and when you're done meet me back at the hideout. Easy enough?"

Katara nodded and Aang stood uncomfortably. "You know if we finish early, we might just come see you by the dam," Aang narrowed his eyes at Jet. His eyes widened but he composed his face immediately.

"No, just meet me at the hideout." He turned around quickly and walked off. Aang smiled. He was right about the dam!

Aang watched him go with a grin. He had him figured out! "Aang," Katara whispered. She brought him out of his thoughts and back to the present, "Please help me with this." She was already bending water from the geyser. Aang walked over and began to help her.

"You're talking to me again?" Aang asked as the water rushed out of the geyser into the river. They moved onto the next one. He was hesitant about doing this but he was sure Sokka was handling things at the dam. They should be safe…

"Maybe," Katara pursed her lips. Aang watched her. He had just kissed those same lips yesterday and now… "I'm still kind of upset."

Aang nodded as water rushed out of the second geyser. They moved to the next one again, "I didn't mean to complicate things." He looked up to meet her eyes but she was looking down to concentrate on bending.

"I know, that was my fault," she admitted. And all conversation stopped there. They bended water out of three more geysers and deemed the job done. "Well I guess we can go back to the hideout now."

Aang grabbed her by the hand, "He doesn't want us at the dam, don't you want to find out why?" He smiled at her. She looked up, and for a minute, things were back to normal. They were chasing down trouble and enjoying it with each other.

But reality set in, "I don't know…" She slipped her hand out of his, "Should we betray his trust?" she asked quietly. That wasn't what she meant at all. She was really implying if Aang trusted him.

"He doesn't trust me so I'm not returning any favors, let's go!" Aang opened his glider and she unwillingly climbed on top. Aang took off and said, "I'll prove…"

"Ah!" a hook sword dug into his clothes and brought him and Katara to the ground. "I'm disappointed Katara, I thought you trusted me. I liked you." Aang felt his stomach, blood covered his hand. That jerk cut him!

Katara stood up and turned to face Jet, "What are you talking about?" Jet's eyes widened. She didn't know. He just comprised himself to her for no reason!

"He's going to blow up the dam!" Aang shouted. He was picking himself up, holding onto his stomach. Katara's eyes grew in size and she looked between Aang and Jet. It couldn't be true, "Sokka went to stop them last night."

"It's too bad we caught him," Jet laughed, "Next time, send someone who could actually be a threat!" Jet readied his hook swords, "Come on Avatar, fight for her. Fight for the village. Or is that little cut going to stop you?" Katara gasped. She just noticed the red staining Aang's yellow shirt.

Aang roared and bended a wave of water knocking Jet back. But his cut was deeper than he thought. He gasped in pain and clutched it. Aang grabbed his staff for support. Jet recovered and charged at Aang. Just as he was about to raise his swords, another wave came down on him.

Katara stepped in front of Aang with pure fury outlining her face, "I trusted you!" she brought on another wave. Jet fell to the ground and gasped for air, "And you hurt him and Sokka! You're a monster!" tears were streaming down her face. "You were using me!"

"Stop!" Jet yelled above the water crashing over him. Katara pulled up another large wave but this time, when it pushed him to the tree, she froze him neck down to it. She was breathing hard and her fists were clenched.

"I can't fly there Katara," Aang told her leaning on his staff, "The glider was damaged when we fell." She gritted her teeth and stared Jet down. His eyes were hard and dark. His face was that of a madman's. Katara wished nothing more than to rearrange his face.

"You heard him," Jet laughed, "It's a lost cause. You lost, beautiful." Jet grinned at her but before she could do anything Aang walked up and punch him square in the jaw. Blood fell down Jet's mouth and Aang stepped back.

"He's all yours now," Aang gripped his stomach, "We can only hope that Sokka did something to get away." He gestured for her to continue. He knew Katara would never be happy if she couldn't get everything out now.

"You are the most worthless piece of trash!" She used a water whip to slap his across face. He grinned and rolled his head back. He just continued to grin. Then he began to whistle. Aang gritted his teeth. What was he doing?

"He's signaling them!" but before Katara could clamp her hand over his mouth, they saw a lit arrow across the horizon. A moment later, the dam exploded, the fire matching the color of the rising sun. The sound was ear piercing and the explosion rocked the ground.

"You killed all those people!" Katara shouted, tears streaming down her eyes. She slapped him across the face and stepped back to watch the water flow down the river into the village.

"We," he grimaced, "it was the water you bended that killed those people." Aang stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder. She put an arm around him to help support him. Judging from the stains on his clothes he had lost a lot of blood. He was getting woozy.

"Sadly, you failed Jet," Sokka appeared next to them on Appa. "I warned the villagers of your plan. They didn't want to believe me, but someone vouched for me. It was that old man you attacked. Your ambush on him made him stand up for me, just like I did for him. They evacuated the village just in time." Sokka smiled proudly jumping off Appa.

"How did you escape?" Jet choked out. He was struggling against the ice ready to attack again.

"Pipsqueak and Smellerbee are good people, they have hearts, they listened to me and helped me evacuate the village," Sokka smiled, "You were wrong Jet. And now you're paying for it….wait is Katara crying?"

Sokka looked at Katara who had tears running down her face. She was supporting a still bleeding Aang, "You made my sister cry and cut my best friend?" Sokka shook his head, "Unfreeze him."

Katara blinked, "What for?" if she unfroze him, he could attack and get away.

"Just do it," and so she did. She let go of Aang for a moment and unfroze the water bending it away from him. She quickly grabbed a hold of Aang. Sokka stepped up and stared at Jet. He punched him in the throat and kicked him in the crotch. "Let's go," Sokka said jumping back on Appa. Jet was on the ground in pure agony.

Katara helped Aang onto Appa and laid him down in the saddle. "Next time you won't mess with the water tribe, jerk!" Sokka laughed as Jet just groaned, "yip yip." Appa took off into the air.

Katara helped Aang out of his shirt and examined his wound. It was about six inches long and pretty deep. She searched through Sokka's bag and pulled out some bandages. "This is my fault, I should've listened," Katara rambled on as she did his bandages. He winced every now and then but stayed quiet.

"I don't blame you," He said through clenched teeth. He sighed as she tied off the bandage around his stomach. "So Sokka did you finally have your own love adventure?" Aang laughed. Aang looked at Katara. They certainly had one…

"He was surrounded by guys!" Katara laughed helping sit Aang up. He leaned against the saddle and Katara took his shirt so she could sew it. Sokka was awfully quiet up there.

"As the leader, I've made my first rule," Sokka said formally, "No more use of the phrase 'love adventure'." He nodded his head in their direction and they rolled their eyes.

"He's still jealous," Katara smiled. And before she could lose her nerve, she kissed Aang on his cheek, "We had a much better adventure than him again."

Aang blushed and smiled. Sokka watched him from Appa's head. He nodded at Aang who just smiled in response. He knew Sokka banned the phrase because he finally was happy for his sister and didn't mind her being happy now. Sokka turned back around and steered leaving Aang to fall asleep and Katara to think. They weren't together yet. But she was going to definitely do something to change that now.

** Wow that was long. And I have to say, it was one of my favorites. Now review and tell me what y'all thought!**


	10. The Storm

**Curse you writer's block! After writing that last chapter, I've been stuck, so at a desperate attempt at writing, this was made. The good news: I caught everyone off guard with that kiss. Didn't see that one coming did y'all? A HUGE thanks to Mustang and NCIS Freak for all your help; I would've been looking at a blank doc for another week if you wouldn't have stepped in with amazing advice; YOU'RE A GODSEND. And to my reviewer who asked me to have Aang really babysit Wei Jin and Jin Wei; I'm doing a separate one shot where he does since I can't really work it all in here. So watch out for that because I loved the idea. And the original character in here (yes, shocker right? I hate OCs) will only be making an appearance for this chapter. Though this one may not measure up to my last one…Enjoy this sad/deep/Avatar changing chapter! **

"That's one huge canyon," Sokka said looking over the saddle. Aang had told him earlier that it was the largest canyon in the Earth Kingdom, and now that he's seen it, he really knows why. It was massive! He was glad Aang didn't suggestion they go down there and walk through it or something like that.

Aang looked back at Katara, who still hasn't said anything since she bandaged him up yesterday. She hasn't even so much as looked at him as far as he knew. He really couldn't figure her out at all. One second she's being all nice and the next, she hated him. He rubbed his wounded stomach which was healing very fast. It hadn't been that deep after all and was doing much better now that they had cleaned it up. He could even airbend perfectly now. He assumed it was a part of being the Avatar, "Yeah, I had to babysit some kids from here once. Their parents came to Omashu and the sages volunteered for me to watch them while their parents vacationed." Aang shuddered at the memory of babysitting those kids: Jin Wei and Wei Jin. They were devils! He was happy to stay in the air away from their dreadful homeland; he couldn't imagine what their descendents were like.

Katara looked at Aang at the same time he did. They both blushed and looked away. Katara was still upset that her first kiss had been stolen in the heat of an argument. She was the kind of girl who had all of that planned out years in advance and her first kiss didn't exactly fit her dreams. The actual kiss was amazing though…She shook her head. She wasn't going to forgive him because he was a good kisser.

"Could you stop making faces at each other?" Sokka was looking between the two of them. It had been going on all day. Sokka tried to give him advice on Katara, he had even given Aang his blessing, but did the kid listen? No. Frankly, Sokka had only given Aang permission because he was obsessed with keeping that creep Jet at bay. But now he couldn't take it back. And he was really wishing he could. If this was their idea of flirting…Sokka rubbed his head in annoyance.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katara said crossing her arms. There was no way Sokka could know about their…moment yesterday. But Sokka had this knowing gleam in his eyes that made her very suspicious.

"Yeah, you should just keep looking at the canyon while you can," Aang agreed not bothering to look back. He didn't want to accidently get caught looking at her again. Things were already complicated enough without him making it worse.

"Whatever," Sokka put his hands behind his head and leaned back into the saddle. He didn't care about that stupid canyon or his sister's petty drama. This trip was getting worse and worse. He was just hoping some girl to show up for him so he didn't have to get involved in their love spats.

…..

They flew until Appa could no longer stay in the air. They landed outside of a fishing village in a small clearing. The sun was just setting and silence had been prominent. Aang was worried he would no longer have a voice from lack of use. He sighed as he laid on the hard ground. He was spread out on his back trying to get comfortable.

Sokka grumbled something about food and got in his sleeping bag a little ways from Aang. He was asleep before Katara could get her sleeping bag off of Appa. She walked down Appa's tail and set up her sleeping bag in between the three so the laid in a straight line, side by side.

Katara had been very grateful for today's silence. She had a lot to think through. She couldn't stay mad at Aang, but she still wasn't ready to forgive him. Maybe it was a guy thing to kiss a girl when he has nothing else to say or when he was losing an argument. She looked up at the night sky and tried to sort through her thoughts even more. She had already done so much thinking today and the only thing she managed to comprehend was: She liked Aang and he liked her. She didn't know how something so simple could complicate her so much.

Aang sighed as he watched Katara stare at the sky. He had really messed things up. Then again, he did have a knack of that.

_Aang smiled as he rode Appa. It was a beautiful day and it felt perfect. The wind was blowing in his face, the air was cool on his skin and there wasn't a cloud in sight. It was smooth flying._

_ And it got even better! Katara flew up next to him riding a giant Momo. She was smiling brightly at him and he awed at her beauty. She was just so amazing! She waved at him from Momo and Aang tried to gather himself up enough to wave back. She wasn't even mad at him anymore! That thought itself was enough the make Aang beam._

_ Sokka flew up on his other side riding Aang's glider and made kissy faces at Aang and Katara. But for some reason, neither of them seemed to mind. They were together, flying, and happy. What more could Aang ask for? He had a great family._

_ "I love you, Aang," Aang did a double take. Katara was beaming as she rode Momo and Sokka just nodded at the two. He had never felt so complete. "We need you, Aang," she said seriously. Aang looked confused for a moment. Dark clouds were billowing on the horizon behind him. He urged Appa to fly faster as Katara repeated herself, "We need you, Aang."_

_ Aang was getting nervous. The clouds were swiftly approaching, casting a dark shadow on the three of them. Aang didn't like storms but this was fear he had never felt before. He gripped Appa's reigns in an attempt to steady himself. "We needed you, Aang."_

_ Aang took in a sharp breath. That voice…it couldn't be. Aang looked behind him and a knife went through his heart. It was his guardian Gyatso. And it wasn't just him. Behind his old guardian, the entire nation of the Air Nomads extended behind him. They were all echoing his words._

_ The clouds were engulfing him completely now and Katara and Sokka were vanishing. "NO!" Aang gripped the reigns and tried to maneuver Appa to safety. But there was nowhere to go! There was nothing but black clouds! His friends were gone but he could still hear their echoing voices, "We needed you, Aang." He was screaming in agony. _

_ Then lightning etched the sky around him and thunder pounded in his ears. Rain was falling in stinging his face. "No!" He needed to find his friends! They were all depending on him! He tried to see through the rain and dark clouds but all he could make out was the flashing of lightning._

_ Appa roared as a bolt got dangerously close to them. Aang's vision went white from the sudden light and he screamed as he and Appa plummeted. They both crashed into the cold water with Aang gripping onto his reigns in terror. He failed all his friends….the water were rushing into his lungs. He failed them!_

"No!" Aang sat up, still in a haze from his nightmare and some pressure was removed from his chest.

"Ah!" Katara flew off Aang and landed on Sokka. Katara rubbed her side and rolled off Sokka who was now screaming too. She didn't remember falling asleep _on_ Aang…

Aang wiped the sweat off his forehead and laid back down. He didn't even have the urge to be embarrassed about Katara falling asleep on his chest. He rubbed his eyes and tried to rid the images from his mind. They were burned into the backs of his. Every time he closed them he could see all the people he cared about vanishing in the storm.

"What's going on?" Sokka had his boomerang ready to throw and Momo was stumbling around camp, disorientated by the sudden surprise. Appa groaned and Katara tried to get situated again.

"Just a dream," Aang sighed. He rubbed his eyes again trying to rid the images. That storm…it was just like the one that sent him into the iceberg. That was the reason he let everyone down. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his forehead against his knees.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Katara asked in her concerned voice. She may have been embarrassed about how she was discovered sleeping but Aang was still her friend. Even though Sokka said friends don't kiss…Katara shoved all those thoughts to the back of her mind. Aang needed help not more confusion.

"Not really," He didn't lift his head up. He was ashamed he let the two of them down. He couldn't even save them in a dream! Weren't people supposed to be like superheroes in their dreams? He moaned at the thought.

"If we're talking about dreams, I had this crazy one…" Sokka began but Katara picked up the nearest one and lobbed it at Sokka's head. Her brother was a real jerk sometimes. Couldn't he see Aang was hurting? She glared daggers at him and put a hand on Aang's shoulder.

Aang shrugged it off and laid back down, back to the both of them. Katara sighed and made herself comfortable on the ground. Maybe this is all because of what she was putting him through…

The next morning they all woke up to another beautiful day. Birds were chirping in the surrounding trees, the sunshine was peeking through the woods and the air was cool. Katara took in a deep breath and immersed herself in the beautiful surrounds.

Aang on the other hand was rubbing the sleep out his eyes and wondering what he did to deserve such horrible and vivid dreams. He didn't get much sleep and the sleep he did get was haunted by nightmares. He sighed tried to enjoy the nice day.

Sokka was rolling up his sleeping bag and yawning, "So what do we have to eat?" He tied his bag to Appa's saddle and stretched out his muscles. He got some great sleep last night! He took in a deep breath of the cool morning air and did a few toe touches. If he saw any girls, he had to be in top condition!

"Sorry, we ran out of food last night," Katara said finishing her braid. "There's a fishing village a mile to the east. I'm sure we can get some food there." She glanced at Aang who was laying on the ground, staring at the sky. Katara gazed up to see what he was staring at: nothing.

"Wait, this was in my dream!" Sokka held up his hands dramatically, "We can't go into the village because FOOD EATS PEOPLE!" Katara face palmed herself and wondered how the two of them were even related. Aang glanced over at Sokka with a grimace. The guy needed to calm down…

"Anything we should be concerned about?" Katara asked sarcastically already sitting on Appa's saddle. Aang stood up then airbended himself up to Appa's head.

"Yes," Sokka said picking up Momo, "Momo could talk, and he said some very hurtful things!" Momo's large ears dropped and he made a pathetic squeak Sokka took as an apology. He huffed and put the lemur down and joined the rest of them on Appa. Momo screeched and threw a rock at Sokka which hit him straight on the temple, "Ow!"

…..

Iroh stood on the deck staring at the sky. Something felt off. The weather was perfect but he could feel an ache in his old bones. Iroh's grey eyebrows scrunched together. "A storm is coming," He warned Zuko.

Zuko turned around to face his uncle. He raised his good eyebrow and laughed, "Are you crazy, Uncle? The weather is perfect!" Zuko whipped back around. He didn't understand his uncle sometimes. If something is plain as day, why question it?

"Prince Zuko," Iroh said in a steady voice, "It might be best to dock in the fishing village a few miles ahead." Iroh studied the sky again. Yes, it was perfect, but there was always calm before a storm. He looked at Zuko's back. He was stiff with rage.

"We can't risk losing the Avatar," Zuko said thru clenched teeth. Besides, there wasn't a cloud in sight! His uncle was just getting old and crazy. There wasn't going to be a storm…

Not an hour later, the universe was once again ready to ruin Zuko's day. Black clouds were billowing in front of them. And it didn't look like just any storm. It looked horrible. "See, I told you, Prince Zuko, we need to dock." Iroh drink some soothing tea while watching his nephew train.

Zuko blew out a puff of fire. This wasn't something he needed. He was keeping a close watch on the Avatar and making good time. If they docked for safety, it would through everything off! "Following the Avatar is more important."

Iroh took another sip of tea observing the dark clouds on the horizon, "Prince Zuko, please consider the safety of your crew." Iroh put down his tea and stood up to face the banished Prince. Zuko scowled at his old uncle.

"Catching the Avatar is more important than anyone's safety!" Zuko screamed. Below deck, his crew stopped to listen to the argument. They all looked at each other after his reply. He was only a spoiled brat.

One man walked above deck to finally face the Prince. All the other crew members tried to stop him but he pushed forward. Someone had to teach this ignorant kid some respect. "Prince Zuko, it's really comforting that you have so much concern for your crew," he spit at Zuko's feet, "Someone needs to teach you respect. And since your uncle here is too loving to you, it'll have to be someone else."

Zuko growled as his crewman stood in front of him. How dare he suggest something like that. This man knew nothing of respect. Zuko had learned it long ago, "Watch your tongue or I will teach you a thing about respect, you're only a peasant to me!" he too spit at the man.

The crewman got into his firebending stance and just as he was about to send a fireball straight for Zuko, Iroh grabbed his arm. "If we are going through this storm, we need all of our focus and crew. No fighting, each of you learn some respect for each other." Iroh let go of the crewman and walked below deck.

Zuko glared at his ship hand. This wasn't over.

…..

"Are you sure this is ripe?" Katara asked Sokka. He looked at her and shrugged. What was he, a fruit expert? Katara poked at the fruit again.

"Are you going to buy something already?" the vendor asked. She was a short chubby lady. She had a permanent grimace on her face and had beady eyes. Her voice was masculine and horrid sounding. Katara frowned.

"We're broke anyway," Aang sighed. He leaned against the post of the vending stall and glanced at Katara. She blushed and put the fruit down as the vendor cursed at them and told them to go away. Aang sighed again and walked away with the other two following. "We need to find a way to get some money."

"Maybe Sokka could get a job," Katara said crossing her arms. Sokka was the 'leader' and 'man of the group' after all. If he could lecture them on hours end, then he could get a job to support 'his' group.

Sokka groaned, "Where am I going to find a job?"

"I told ya not to go out, ya old man!" An old lady with her hair in a tight bun followed and old man with a white beard down the dock. He had a straw hat on and had dark tanned skin. "There's a storm comin'!"

The old man dropped a box on his boat and tried his best to ignore his old nagging wife. Why did he ever get married? He groaned and turned on the woman, "Ah, shut up you old hag!"

Aang, Katara and Sokka watched the scene play out in front of them. Sokka always thought all old people were funny. They were always grouchy and angry and were easy to laugh at. He silently laughed as the old lady nagged him more, "Well, I ain't goin' on this trip with ya!"

"I never asked you to, you old nag!" the old man put another box on his boat, "Kiyo get up here!" Sokka watched as a young girl with short black hair walked up onto the deck of the boat. She was dressed in a simple green dress that reminded him of Katara's. She must be the other ship hand. "You gotta do double the work to make up for your lazy old grandma!" The pretty girl nodded and hurried her pace.

Sokka stepped up, "If I get some pay, I'll help." The old man agreed and put Sokka to work on the deck with the girl Kiyo. Sokka thought she was even prettier up close. She had green eyes and a perfect complexion. Sokka smiled, he almost felt bad for accepting pay…wait, who was he kidding? That made it all the more better!

"Hey," Sokka smiled at the girl as he stacked up some boxes against the wall, "I'm Sokka." He tried to flex his muscles without making it obvious. He crossed his arms and leaned against a post on the boat.

The girl stopped untangling the net in her hand to look up at Sokka, "You should really get to work if my grandpa's going to be paying you." and with that, she turned back to the net and untangled it without a glance at Sokka.

Sokka's mouth dropped open. Did he just get rejected? He stood up to go get the bundle of ropes of the deck. Oh, this girl was going to like him by the end of this trip. He was going to make sure of that!

Aang stood next to Katara on the dock watching the fisherman and his crew work. Honestly, they just wanted to see Sokka actually work. The idea was hilarious to the both of them. "How long do you think he will last?" Aang smiled as Sokka tripped and tried to play it off by tying a string on his boot.

"I say he quits before they leave out," Katara laughed. Her brother wasn't the worker in the family. He was lazy and always expected some girl to be there to do the work. Katara was enjoying the scene in front of her.

"See, there's clouds comin' up!" the old lady had been nagging her husband for a while now. Aang had to admit though; the man was great at ignoring her. But maybe this wasn't the time to brush her off. Storm clouds were brewing on the horizon. Aang gasped. They were just like in his dream!

"Sokka, you really shouldn't go out," Aang stepped forward. Katara raised her eyebrows. She was under the impression that Aang wanted him to go out and make them some money. Katara admittedly was hoping for some time alone to apologize to Aang…

"The kid with the tattoos has some sense, you should listen to him," The old lady waved a finger at her husband who had just finished reading his boat. Sokka was sitting on the side of the boat listening to them argue again.

"Boy with tattoos?" the old man studied Aang and then laughed at him, "Ha, well you're the Avatar!" Aang nodded at the man who was laughing at him. Katara watched the old man wearily. "Why would you care of anyone's safety now, kid? You didn't care about us when you ran away!"

This was just like his dream. Everyone was telling him they needed him and that he failed. His face dropped and he backed up a few steps. This wasn't supposed to be happening. He was here now wasn't he? "You're a coward, running from your people when you were needed. Why should I listen to you, kid? I'm going on my fishing trip."

Aang shook his head and opened his glider. Before Katara could stop him, he took off and left them on the dock. He was done being reminded of his mistakes. He was tired of it. His stomach hurt some, but he fought through it. He needed to be alone.

Katara watched as Aang flew away on his glider. Things had just kept getting worse and worse for him, and part of it was her fault. Her heart sunk as he put more distance between them, "You keep running away, coward!" the old man shook his fist and Aang's flying form.

Katara turned to the man, "You're a mean, bitter old man!" Katara grimaced at him and jumped on Appa who was waiting a few feet away. She had to go fix this. She had her own things to apologize for and Aang obviously needed some outlet for all of his pent up problems. Katara wasn't going to let him suffer alone.

The old man snorted as Katara left, "Okay you two, let's get to moving." Sokka looked back to his sister one more time; he hoped she could get to Aang before he beat himself up too bad. But what was he worrying about that for? He had a hot girl to go hit on!

…

Aang closed his glider as he landed in a cave. Rain was just beginning to fall outside making everything damp and eerie. He found the cave a few minutes ago and gathered some fire wood. He sat in the middle of the small cave and lit a small fire. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

He didn't need this, did he? He ran away once before, and though it wielded terrible results, it worked. He sighed; he knew he couldn't leave again. He wouldn't be able to. He couldn't leave his new family. He would never find another like it. And now that all these new revelations about the comet were on his shoulders, he had to push through. He already failed the world once.

"Aang?" A small voice called out over the rain. His eyes shot open and he turned his head to face the mouth of the cave entrance. Katara's silhouette was against the curtain of ran and Appa was standing behind her. He didn't even get a chance to respond when she sat in front of him, on the other side of the fire. Her blue eyes shone with sadness and her face was a perfect mask. She composed herself for him. "Do you want to talk about it?" She adjusted her dress that clung to her wet body. The fire was warm but there was a chill in the air that had nothing to do with weather.

"I guess it could help," Aang still leaned back against the wall with his legs stretched out in front of him. He played with a loose string of his tunic and tried to think of where to start. "Want to trade stories?" Aang would feel better if he wasn't the only one spilling his guts. He was also curious about Katara's story. He had heard an overview of her life before while traveling on Appa but it was no comparison to a real story.

"Ok," Katara nodded. She liked to confide in Aang with her problems. He was pretty wise for his age, when he was actually acting his age. "But you have to go first," Aang nodded in agreement.

"It all started with some of my friends and me at the air temple…."

_"Come on guys, it's not that hard!" Aang laughed as he made the air scooter. It was a move he invented. It was also the move that earned him his title of master airbender. But no matter how many times he tried to teach his friends, none of them could do it, "You just have to balance!"_

_ One of the kids tried again but when he tried to jump on, the ball of air sent him flying across the balcony. Aang winced as a cloud of dust settled, revealing the kid face first in the hard ground. Maybe he should just stop teaching them…_

_ "Aang," the four elders all walked down the stairs to Aang. "You need to come with us," They all stood waiting for him to agree. Aang got in a lot of trouble, as did any young boy at the air temple, but something was off about this._

_ "Um, okay…" Aang followed the back up the stairs. All of his friends watched him leave. They knew he was in trouble for something. The elders were never this serious. All of Aang's friends gulped as he disappeared from view._

_ Aang walked behind the elders. He was taller than all of them so it was almost comical to walk behind them. But Aang reminded himself not to joke around, no matter how tempting. This was a seemingly important matter. "Sit, Aang," one elder told him. He obeyed and sat down on a mat in front of the four elders who were also sitting. "We have some important matters to discuss. You are sixteen, as of today, isn't that correct?"_

_ "Yes," Aang replied simply. As far as Aang was concerned, no other sixteen year old had to visit the elders. He sat cross legged, very nervous about what was going on._

_ "Do you recognize these?" the elder airbended a rolled cloth to him. It land in front of Aang and unraveled. It held four small toys. Aang sat bewildered for a moment._

_ And then he smiled, "These were my toys when I was young." He picked one up and grinned at how much he missed them. They felt…familiar. Aang shook his head, of course they were! They were his long ago after all._

_ "You picked these toys among thousands," one of the elders began. His face was grim and his eyes dark. Aang never understood how elders could be so serious when they too come from the nation of free people, "They are linked to you."_

_ Aang put the toy down and laughed, "I doubt that, they just seemed better than the rest." He shoved the toys away from him, "What is this about?"_

_ The elders shifted uncomfortably and Aang's stomach lurched, "Those were Avatar relics, Aang. You picked them because they were familiar. They had a connection with you. You are the Avatar."_

_ Aang's breath caught in his throat. The avatar? Were these men crazy? He shook his head, "There has to be a mistake." Aang stood up but the elder airbended him back down. Aang grimaced at the old men and gritted his teeth._

_ "There has been no mistake," the elder began, "but there is something. We fear there is war approaching. You need to start training immediately." All the elders' eyes bore into Aang. His eyes went wide and he tried to object, "You will leave for Omashu tomorrow morning to meet with the sages. They will start teaching you what you need to know."_

_ "But I've never even left the temple," Aang interrupted. Most boys his age had already traveled around the world with their guardians but Aang was a prodigy. He didn't have time for trips. He only had time to train._

_ "You're a nomad, Aang, you will make it just fine," one of them sighed. They excused him and Aang stumbled out of the room, traumatized. He was the Avatar…_

…_.._

Zuko's crew sat below deck huddled around a small barrel of fire. The storm outside had made the air chilly and damp. It was the exact opposite of a fire nation soldier's happy place. They would take a hot, sunny day over storm. Though while being out on sea, this was hard to accommodate. Storms were a common occurrence on the sea.

"That Zuko is such a spoiled brat, what does he know of respect?" the crew mate who had almost fought Zuko earlier hit his clenched fist on his thigh. All the other crew mates mumbled in agreement. None of them like the Prince's behavior. He was always a stuck up brat.

"He was taught respect long ago," Iroh said gravely from the shadows. All the men jumped and started to spout out apologies. But Iroh merely held a hand up to silence them, "It is alright. His story is not well known." Iroh sat down in the circle of men. He too didn't enjoy the weather so the fire was a beacon of warmth, "It all happened when he was a much different boy…"

_Iroh was making his way to the war meeting once again. He had been retired for a while now, but Iroh was an honorary member on the council and his opinion was valued despite his major defeat years ago. He sighed at the thought. _

_ "I am the prince!" A voice commanded. Iroh rounded the corner to see his nephew Zuko arguing with the two guards guarding the war chamber, "You have to let me in!" The two men ignored Zuko but his pleadings did not stop._

_ Iroh shook his head. His poor nephew was so much like his late son. They were both so eager and headstrong. They were both relentless… Iroh sniffed and interceded on Zuko's behalf, "What seems to be the problem?"_

_ The guards saluted Iroh out of respect but Iroh was not concerned about that. His nephew was having a panic attack, "They won't let me in!" Zuko's face was innocent and his voice not yet mature. Iroh smiled at his nephew. He had much to learn._

_ "Trust me, Prince Zuko," Iroh put a hand on his shoulder to calm him, "This meeting is just for a bunch of old generals. They are dreadfully boring to sit through. I even find myself dozing off." Zuko smiled slightly at his confession but his desires to get in soon came back._

_ "But Uncle," Zuko said in a slightly whinny voice, "Don't you think if I am going to lead this nation one day that I should start learning now?" Iroh smiled at his nephew's wisdom on the matter. He was so much like his son. Iroh patted the boy on the back and waved the guards off. He was going to let his nephew learn well. _

_ Iroh sat next to Zuko in the war chamber. The seats were all lined against a rectangular map of the world, showing the four nations. Around the map sat many older generals. And from experience, Iroh knew every one of them had a temper. At the front of the room, raised up on a platform, sat the Fire Lord. In front of him, a wall of fire blazed. Iroh frowned at his brother. Though Iroh was the heir to the throne, he was glad it was not he up there._

_ One of the generals stood up, bowed to Ozai, then faced the other members, "We have caught word that the Earth Kingdom battalion is here," He moved a piece on the map that had an Earth Kingdom symbol. It rested on the west side of the Earth Kingdom, "I suggest we use to forty first division." He moved a piece again, but this one had a fire nation insignia._

_ One general stood up and bowed to Ozai, then turned to the other general, "But that fleet is all new recruits! How do you expect them to hold off one of the kingdom's best armies?"_

_ Iroh's eyes widened when he realized the general's plan. "I don't expect them to," he laughed evilly, "They will be bait. Our finest group of men while attack from the flank while they are occupied."_

_ Iroh was so appalled by the plan that he didn't notice Zuko stand up, "You can't do that!" he shouted at the general, "Those men love and serve their country; you can't just use them as bait!"_

Iroh shook his head at the memory. Under different circumstances, he would've been proud of his nephew's sense of wrong and right. He would've been proud that he had to courage to speak up. But it was neither the time nor the place for it, "He spoke out of turn. The ultimate display of disrespect," all the men were in awe of the story. None of them expected it, "he was right of course, but it was not his place to speak out."

…..

"The meetings were terrible," Aang explained bringing his knees up to his chest. He glanced at Katara over the fire, she sat with her legs crossed and leaning forward. She was a great listener, "When I got back from Omashu, things were different. No one would speak to me."

"Maybe they were intimidated," it was the first time Katara interrupted his story to make a comment. He shrugged. He had never thought of it that way.

"I think I just didn't belong anymore, I wasn't a normal airbender kid running around anymore, I was the world's most powerful being, I was weird," Aang sighed and leaned his head against the wall. The memories that fled back were terrible to him. They made his head pound. And the weather was not helping his mood.

"What happened after that?" Katara asked. Silence had hung over them for a while and only now did Aang notice he stopped talking. He sat back up and looked at her again before continuing.

_"Aang, you can't run from your training all the time," Gyatso moved another pai sho tile on the board as Aang stared out the window. He would much rather skip training with the sage._

_ "I swear they made a mistake, Gyatso," Aang moved his tile so he could resume watching the lemurs and bison fly around. He wished he could be like them. Free to do what they want. Have no care in the world. Have friends and family that love you. "I hate being the Avatar. But I haven't changed! And everyone thinks I'm some monster, but I'm still me!"Aang leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling._

_ "I know you haven't, Aang, but their minds have changed about you," Gyatso smiled, "People will warm up to you. It'll be like growing up again when you first made friends." He patted the boy's arm in a fatherly motion but Aang didn't acknowledge it._

"After that, an elder came to find me," Aang frowned at the memory of what followed that, "He said he needed to talk to Gyatso and I needed to leave." He paused for a minute, gathering it all up in his head, "But I had to know what they were talking about. I airbended myself under the window after I left the room. And what I heard…"

He stopped and put his head in his hands. Katara put her hands in her lap and looked at them so she didn't fret over Aang too much, "What did you hear?"

"They were talking about me. Gyatso said I needed time to adjust, my duties could wait a couple of weeks. But the elder refused. Gyatso said they were going to make me bitter and corrupt me…."

"And?" Katara urged him gently.

"He said he was going to send me away for good, to another temple where Gyatso could no longer interfere." Aang felt like someone took a knife and cut his heart out. He felt nothing for a moment. Lightning brightened the room but it still felt grey to him. Everything was numb.

But feeling was slowly returning, building up inside him, "I ran away. I wanted my own life back. I didn't want to be bound and controlled. I was afraid and confused. I just ran away." Aang picked up a rock and threw it across the cave to relieve some of his anger but instead tears ran down his eyes.

Katara stood up and moved to sit down next to him. She took one of his hands into both of hers. "I'm still trying to balance it all. I want a normal life but I need to be the Avatar now. I let people down and I have to make up for it." Aang hung his head as another tear escaped. He didn't know what led him to cry. He had also been told he was a 'gentle' spirit but he didn't know it meant he was subjected to crying. He was sixteen for spirits sakes! "It's your turn."

Katara sighed and squeezed his hand. This was her first time telling someone her entire story. Yes, she told Aang about her mom and all but this was different. "Sokka and I were playing in the snow. I was throwing snow at him while he griped. We were so young," she smiled at the happy moment her and her brother shared but the smile vanished as she went on, "Then soot was falling from the sky. It was coming down in black clumps. It was terrifying. Men were running around with weapons and children and women went to hide in their homes. Sokka went to find Dad but I ran to find Mom," her grip on Aang's hand was slackening as she went further into the memory. "I finally made it to our home but when I went inside, there was a fire nation man in there. He was standing over Mom, and she just sat there calmly. She told me to go find my dad and not worry. She told me to just go find dad. I was so young and so scared. I didn't know it was a raid and I didn't know she was in danger. I just knew I had to find my dad. I ran out."

Katara felt tears stain her cheeks. Aang sat still holding her hands as she talked. He knew better than to interrupt her, "When I found dad and told him, he ran for mom. But we weren't quick enough. The man…he killed her!" Katara felt Aang brush his hand over her cheeks to wipe away her tears she wished hadn't fallen. His own eyes were red and puffy. She leaned into him and he wrapped one arm around her. "I need you, Aang."

Aang's eyes widened. That's exactly what she said in his dream. That's what she said right before she disappeared, "You aren't going anywhere." Katara smiled through a few more tears. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. It made all the more difference. After all that, she forgave him for stealing her first kiss. She knew she wasn't going to be able to be mad at him for long…

Lightning struck again and a figure appeared at the entrance of the cave. Katara and Aang jumped as the old lady from the dock rushed in, "They haven't come back, they should be back!"

….

Iroh grimaced as he continued the story, "He was challenged to a duel. Zuko looked upon the general he spoke out against and accepted. He was an old, scrawny man and Zuko was sure he could take him." Iroh paused, "But that was not who his opponent was. He insulted the General, yes, but it was in the Fire Lord's chamber. He would have to fight his own father."

_ Zuko turned around and was mortified. The general he insulted was not who was across from him. His father stood before him, tall and proud. Zuko immediately bowed down with his face to the ground, "Father, I meant you no disrespect!" Zuko was shaking with fear as his father approached him. A large shadow loomed over Zuko._

_ "Rise, Prince Zuko and fight for your honor!" His father hissed. Zuko could feel the heat from his father's body. His anger was fueling his bending. Zuko didn't move from his father's feet._

_ "Father, I'm so sorry…"_

_ "Silence yourself and fight!" Ozai boomed. His voice sent chills down Zuko's spine and he whimpered. Iroh watched in horror next to Azula, the princess. She had a sick smirk on her face as she watched the duel go on. Her brother was a disgrace!_

_ "I will not fight you, Father," Zuko bowed his head further. He was still trembling with fear and his eyes were wide with terror. His own father was here to fight his own son!_

_ "Then I will teach you respect!" _

"He put that scar on Zuko's face while the boy kneeled there before him," Iroh scowled and he shook with anger, "The Prince apologize and bowed before his father, humbling himself for the whole nation to see and his father still burned his right eye."

All the men sat around the fire in shock, "I always assumed it was a training accident." All the men agreed but Iroh assured them it was far from an accident. The fire cast shadows on all their faces, portraying their sorrow for the young man.

"The Avatar gives him hope though," Iroh went on, explaining why Zuko was hell bent on capturing the monk, "if he captures him, he can return home with all his honor." All the men looked at each other. This certainly put a new light on things. They all had a new respect for their prince.

The boat suddenly shook and there was a loud boom. All the men rushed to the deck of the boat. The rain was pouring down. This was no storm, it was a monsoon. The wind was blowing the men around but Zuko stood his ground. He was currently making his way up the ladder to the bridge.

Lightning struck the boat moments ago and one of his men hung for dear life from the bridge. The wind was blowing and the rain making it hard to grip onto anything. Zuko knew he didn't have much time.

The crew mate that threatened Zuko earlier watched as the Prince made his way up the ladder to go save the crew mate. If he could risk his life, so could he. He followed the prince up the ladder and caught up to him in record time.

Zuko extended his hand out to the man in need. He slowly reached out for Zuko. But almost as their hands met, a huge wave crashed into the ship causing the man to fall! Zuko made a desperate grab for his collar but the man stopped falling. Zuko looked down and saw his 'disrespectful' mate holding the man by the forearm. Zuko smiled as the rest of the crew came to their aid.

When they were all safely down below deck, Iroh ordered the navigating to head for the eye of the storm. They didn't have the time to find a dock. They were going to have to wait it out there.

…

Katara and Aang were on Appa trekking through the monsoon. Rain had soaked them completely and made their skin red from the hard impact. Aang could barely see where he was steering Appa. Waves were crashing all around them, sending a salty mist up to them.

Katara was holding onto the saddle behind Aang searching the sea desperately for the small fishing boat. "There!" Katara pointed to the horizon where the boat was being tossed around by the massive waves.

Aang steered Appa in that direction and gritted his teeth against the cold rain. "Get that rope out now!" Katara made her way to the back of Appa where a bundle of rope was sitting. She picked it up and brought it over to Aang. He took it and brought Appa down close to the boat.

He jumped onto the deck of the boat and searched for the three passengers. They were all clinging to each other and the pole in the middle of the boat. Aang pulled them off the pole and tied the three together by the waist.

The rain was making everything slippery and it made it hard to tie the rope. But Aang bore through and eventually tied them off. "Hold on!" he told them over the howling of the wind. He took the other end of the rope and used his airbending to leap up to Appa. As soon as he took off, the three followed and landed in Appa's saddle. Katara cut their ropes with Sokka's machete and all four of them clung to a spot on the saddle.

Aang grinded his teeth together as he worked to steer Appa. The storm was only getting worse and visibility was down to zero. It was so hard to see that Aang didn't see the wave coming up on them. "Aang!"

But it was too late. The wave broke right on top of them and they were all sent into the icy water. They all clung to the saddle, or in Aang's case, reigns. The water pressure made Aang's ears pop and the impact of the wave almost knocked him unconscious. His vision was hazed and all he could see was black. The water was pushing them down to its icy depths and Aang was losing his grip.

Just when it seemed to be over, Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed white and he tightened his grip on Appa's reigns. He waterbended the water around him into a sphere, much like the one that got him stuck in the iceberg. But now, everyone collapsed onto Appa's saddle and they were being lifted out of the water. Katara watched in relief as Aang led Appa into the sky and his tattoos returned to their normal sky blue. But her relief turned to fear when she realized they had surfaced right next to Zuko's ship!

Zuko stood on deck with his crew, all of them awaiting the order to seize the Avatar. Zuko looked up into the eye of the storm. He could see the blue sky through a tunnel of clouds. His crew's safety and his own were more important than the Avatar. Zuko looked at Aang to let him know this was not out of the kindness of his heart and Aang flinched as his glare and urged Appa to fly faster before he changed his mind.

Aang had never been so happy to be on land before in his life. The storm had passed by the time they returned to the cave where the old lady was waiting. As soon as Appa landed, Kiyo jumped off Appa and hugged her nagging grandma. Sokka and the old man got to talking about payment and the man grumpily paid Sokka his share.

Aang and Katara stood off to the side together. "Fate's a funny thing isn't it?" Katara finally asked. Aang blinked at the sudden question.

"What makes you say that?" Aang asked. He crossed his arms and studied the ocean below them. The surf was still churning wildly from the storm but it didn't seem like a bad thing. There had to be rough times before things could be calm. He was hoping that was true for his life. He really hoped that after he ended the war that things would enter a state of calm. He really didn't need any more excitement.

"If you didn't run away, we wouldn't have met," Katara pondered. Aang smiled ever so slightly at her reasoning, "And if Sokka was so sexist and infuriating, I wouldn't have waterbended your iceberg to the surface. Just little things like that really make you wonder."

Aang nodded, deep in thought. Maybe his running away wasn't completely horrible. He gained an amazing family and met some great people. He smiled at Katara. She was right, fate was a funny thing.

Sokka, after getting his hard earned money, walked up to Kiyo. The entire fishing trip, he had tried to flirt with her to no avail. She just completely brushed him off every time. It was driving Sokka crazy! Last time, the girl was into Aang and now this girl didn't seem to like either of them! "So, it was nice talking to you," Sokka said awkwardly.

"It would've been nicer is you would've stopped flirting," She brushed her black hair away from her green eyes. Sokka swooned at the simple gesture. She was amazing…

"You don't like me then," Sokka hung his head. He kicked a small pebble on the ground. This was just his luck. The first guy Katara ever sees her age and she falls in love with him and he returns her feelings. Even if the two aren't together it still upsets Sokka. He's already met two girls and neither of them even noticed him.

"Sokka, I've never really liked _any_ guy…." Sokka blinked once. Then again. He must be misunderstanding what she was saying. No, no, she must just be saying she never found a guy worth liking! Yes, that had to be it!

"You don't mean…" Sokka trailed off, leaving the question hanging. The girl nodded and Sokka blushed. He really did have the worst luck.

Aang and Katara climbed onto Appa waiting for Sokka to stop harassing the poor girl. His face had been red for a few minutes now but he wasn't speaking. Neither of them was. Aang raised his eyebrow at Katara as Sokka finally climbed on Appa. "Sorry, kid, about earlier," The old man said uncomfortably.

Aang smiled, "You put up with Sokka so I guess we're even." The old man laughed at the expense of Sokka. "Yip yip."

Once they were out of earshot, Katara turned to Sokka, "So did you finally get a girl?" Katara elbowed her brother and winked at him. He was always complaining about their 'adventures' and Katara was really hoping that he would have one soon so he could get over them.

"She's gay," Sokka grumbled. He crossed his arms and turned his head away so he wouldn't have to see them turning red from silent laughter. Aang was the first one to lose it. He busted out laughing and Katara soon joined in. Sokka moaned, "Just keep flying."

**Poor Sokka. But he is eventually going to get a girl. Not my best chapter, but hey, we all have them days. And sorry about the mistakes. I was just too lazy to go back and edit this because I was too glad for it to be done. And check out my profile for other stories or go like me on facebook. I'm going to start posting random crap for future stories and upcoming chapters. So if I get any likes, you can look forward to that. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! Reviews always inspire me to update faster!**


	11. The Blue Spirit

**Oh yeah I passed a hundred reviews! Yay! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm updating late because I went to this party….Anyway. Once again, I got this facebook page for my profile here, you can go like it for sneak peeks of chapters, random upcoming story ideas and me talking about other great stories I've read. Just type in my pen name and ta da, you're there. Thanks in advance! You've been warned: this is a very odd chapter because I'm still suffering from writer's block and severe anger (Don't ask). The beginning's a little slow, but it gets better, I promise (I think)**

Commander Zhao stood with his hands clasped behind his back. The darkness around them was impenetrable and the small torches around them weren't enough to see five feet in front of them. He was standing on a watchtower with his superior, Shino. This just happened to be the military base that held the Yu Yan archers: the best marksmen in the four nations. Zhao was placing in a formal request for their use.

"I told you that the answer is still no," Shino said roughly. He was a short, stout man. He wasn't very intimidating or anything. The man had a booming voice for his small size, but other than that, he was no challenge for any man. Zhao was determined to overpower him.

"I need them, they are the best marksmen and their talents are being wasted in this damn military base that sees absolutely no action!" Zhao clenched his fists tighter behind his back. His hunt for the Avatar could be over much quicker if he could pin him down. The kid would be taken down for sure with these archers! He couldn't outrun them.

"They are my archers, Zhao," Shino replied shortly. Zhao strained his eyes to see down to the shooting range. He barely made out one archer hitting a target directly in the center four times in quick precession. His aim was so precise that he split the proceeding arrows in half. Zhao smiled, they are just what he needed.

Their argument was interrupted by a loud squawk. Both Zhao and Shino turned around as a messenger hawk swooped down to land on the railing of the watch tower. Shino opened the scroll it was carrying. As Shino read, his eyes became large and he couldn't believe it. It must be a trick!

"What does it say, Shino?" Zhao stepped forward and waited anxiously for whatever news just came. He hoped it was important so he could get the archers and leave this place.

"You've just be promoted to Admiral Zhao," Shino gave him the paper with a bow. Shino couldn't believe it was true! This had to be a plot to get the archers!

"Well, Shino, I believe this formal request is now an order," Zhao smiled as Shino went away to prepare his archers. The best archers in the world were now under his command. And they were going to get the Avatar.

But, even Zhao didn't see everything. A person in a blue mask with large tusk like teeth and a grim smile adjusted his spot on the watch tower roof. Zhao had one unknown factor and the person in the mask smiled at the Admiral. Little did he know…

….

"Aang, your hair is so shiny!" Sokka coughed and rolled around his sleeping bag. Katara had him wrapped in his parka and sleeping bag and leaned him against one of Appa's legs. She was hoping that all the heat would break his fever.

"We have to get him some medicine," Aang said rubbing his head. Sokka had gotten sick yesterday. Two days ago, they had rescued him from a fishing boat during a monsoon. And now, he was really paying for it. He was having coughing fits, wouldn't eat or drink anything, had a scorching fever and now was delirious.

"But where would we find…any?" Katara was interrupted by a fit of coughs. Her chest burned and she suddenly felt very dizzy and sick to her stomach. She had been feeling chilly all day, so she put on her parka earlier and warmed up. Now even the parka wasn't keeping her warm enough.

Aang sighed, "You too?" he grabbed Sokka's map and began looking for an herbalist or apothecary. "This is how Sokka started yesterday and now he thinks he's an earthbender and that I have hair!" He picked up Katara's sleeping bag and handed it to her, "Get in that and try to get some rest. I'm going to get some medicine."

He made Katara lay down in her sleeping bag on one of Appa's other legs. She was suppressed by another coughing fit before she could lay down and Aang frowned. He helped her into the bag and laid her down gently. "Don't move or try to be the mom of the group and help Sokka. I'll be back as soon as I get some medicine."

Katara shook her head, "You can't go alone," she coughed again before she could continue, "We'll all take Appa." Aang shook his head at her persistence. She was getting worse by the minute, even Sokka didn't decline this fast. Her eyes were glazing over and her face becoming red, "You're a great kisser, Aang." She smiled and closed her eyes.

Aang shook his head as she fell asleep. He was a _great_ kisser? He would so hold that against her one day. Aang picked up his glider and leaned down towards Katara and kissed her forehead. Sokka laughed like an idiot and pretended to earthbend some more, not even noticing Aang. "Keep an eye on them Momo," Aang told the lemur. He nodded and laid down on Katara's stomach.

As Aang opened his glider, lightning struck on the horizon. There had been small bands of storms ever since the large monsoon two days ago. "Maybe I'll stay on the ground this time," Aang set his glider against the wall and prepared for a new trick he had been perfecting for a while now.

He took in a large gulp of air and took off running. Only instead of just running, he moved the air currents around him to speed him up. It was almost like gliding just on the ground. Aang smiled as his trick worked. He was on his way up to the herbalist on the mountain and running at the speed of light.

Aang couldn't help but laugh as the wind whipped around him. At least someone around this place could have fun.

…

Zuko growled. There had been no sightings of the Avatar since the crazy storm that passed two days ago. Zuko had sacrificed a chance of capturing him to keep his crew safe. Zuko knew that in the long run it was the smart and honorable choice but right now, it really sucked.

Iroh moved another pai sho piece. Most of the crew was using their combined wisdom to try and beat him. Sadly, even half the crew was no match for the old firebender. Iroh smiled as he made an almost impossible move to win the game. All the men threw their hands up and groaned. Iroh could never be beat.

Zuko grinned despite his anger. If only his uncle would use his wisdom to get the Avatar with him. Then they wouldn't be stuck playing the stupid game while sitting in port waiting for reports of sightings. Zuko was flipping through maps and trying to figure out what the Avatar would do next.

"Prince Zuko," three masked guards stood in the door way. Zuko narrowed his good eye. These weren't his men, what were they doing on his ship?

"What do you want?" Zuko hissed. Iroh crossed his arms to watch the exchange. Zuko had went out for a walk last night and returned angrier than before. Iroh had enough tact not to bother him but he was curious. And now soldiers from another fleet were here!

The middle soldier held out a scroll and unrolled it. On it, there was a picture of the Avatar with a staff in his hand. On the side, there was a description of his powers. "We have been ordered by Admiral Zhao to collect all information pertaining to the Avatar."

Iroh perked up at the mention of Zhao being promoted. But Zuko didn't stir. He stood stiff as a board and stared down the three soldiers. "I have no more information on the Avatar," Zuko told them, "Now get off my ship!" The soldiers made a hasty back pedal and retreated from the room. Zuko's mood had just decrease by a hundred percent. Even he didn't know he could be this unhappy.

….

Aang laughed even more as he picked up his speed. It was a good thing he didn't have hair or it would've been a rat's nest. He was reaching speeds he thought was impossible! He was laughing so hard he nearly ran into a tree. He stopped himself and stood in front of the tree. That was a close one! He shrugged and ran off again.

Two soldiers shivered behind the tree the Avatar almost crashed into. They were breathing heavily and gripping each other's arms. That was the Avatar! "We have to send word to Admiral Zhao!" the other soldier nodded his head in agreement as he wrote a message and strapped it to a messenger hawk. They sighed as they realized how close they had come to being crushed to the tree. They needed a normal job that didn't involve almost being killed by the Avatar.

Katara coughed again. The burning in her chest and throat was becoming unbearable. She desperately wanted some water but he water pouch was bone dry and she didn't even have the strength to sit up much less go find water. She moaned but just ended up coughing more from the small noise.

Momo perked up his ears and Katara got an idea. She poked at Momo until he sat up, his big green eyes trained onto her. She took the furry white lemur in her hand and with her other she handed him the water pouch. "Momo, you have to go get water," the lemur turned his head and inspected her. She coughed and repeated herself. This time the lemur took off without the pouch and disappeared out of view. Katara closed her eyes and tried to remain calm.

They didn't have a drop of water and she and Sokka were suffering. Sokka was still mumbling incoherent words and throwing his fists around. Katara was pretty clear minded right now. Unlike Sokka, her hallucinations only lasted for short bursts of times. Like now, she could think clearly.

Only, this meant she could have time to reflect on her adventures. And sadly, they weren't all comforting thoughts. The most reoccurring thought was how childish she actually had been acting lately. She was normally a mature person for her age and she didn't act like a child. But ever since they met Jet, she had been acting plain stupid and selfish.

She had spent so much time being mad at Aang for "stealing her first kiss" but she never stop to think of him. He was the Avatar after all. And things were confusing for him right now. And he probably acted out of desperation to sort out his thoughts. Here she was feeling bad for herself when Aang was the one who needed help.

Her head began to pound and she knew her hallucinations were about to return. She groaned as she thought she saw Aang walk in. But no one was there. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep through this round of dreams.

…..

Aang smiled as he reached the herbalist's residence. It took him ten minutes of running but he was finally here. The house was nothing amazing. It was a small stone structure with blooming trees around it.

He slowly walked through the open door and looked around for the herbalist. Plants lined the shelves and tables. The place was full of conflicting smells but it still smelled like heaven. Aang ran his hand gently over a flower pedal as he walked.

"Meow," Aang stopped walking and turned towards the sound of the noise. A white cat sat on the counter and looked up at Aang. He smiled and began to pet the cat. "What are you doing here?" A loud woman's voice interrupted. Aang jumped and looked for someone in the small house. The only other thing in here was the cat.

Aang narrowed his eyes at the white cat, "Did you just talk?" Aang bent down to look at the cat at eye level.

The cat yawned, "What does it look like?" Aang jumped back and tried to catch his breath. Since when did cats talk? Since when did any animal talk? Aang rubbed his head and paced in front of the cat for a moment.

"Are you the herbalist?" Aang asked skeptically. He stopped in front of the cat again and stared it down. Its small beady eyes were trained on Aang but he didn't seem very interested in what Aang was saying or doing.

"Of course," The voice cried, "why else would I be here?" Aang gulped. How was a cat going to help him heal his friends? The cat began to lick its paw and ignore Aang.

Aang sighed and poked the cat to get its attention, "I need medicine for my friends. They're really sick with a fever and coughing and hallucinations!" Aang was rambling now and getting frantic. He was talking to a cat! He was really tempted to bang his head on the counter in front of him.

"Get away from my Yuki!" someone hit Aang on the back with a cane. Aang grunted and hit his head out of surprise on the counter in front of the counter. He sat back up and rubbed his head. Aang turned around and faced an old lady with a wooden cane. She had a small bowl in her hand and her grey hair was pulled in a tight bun. Aang thought the lady was certified creepy.

"Sorry!" Aang held up his hands and back away from the cat. "I'll just take the medicine and…ah!" Aang reached for the bowl but she hit him with her cane again. Aang rubbed his head and backed up some more. All he needed was some stupid medicine and he could be on his way!

"Frozen swamp frogs," the lady said giving her cat, Yuki, the bowl. The cat began to eat it leaving Aang very confused, "Go down to the swamp and get frozen frogs. You're friends just need to suck on them. But they have to be frozen!"

Aang took a step back, "You're crazy, aren't you?" The lady nodded and smiled with satisfaction. He cringed and slowly walked backwards to the door. Why did he have all the bad luck?

Aang sighed as he prepared for another run. This time, he would be running down hill so he would be going much faster. That meant he would be back to Katara and Sokka faster. He bended the air around him and began to run.

As he ran, his mind drifted to Katara. He should really apologize to her for what happened when they met Jet. But the problem was, he wasn't sorry. Nothing felt wrong about it, besides the obvious timing issue. But Aang was the Avatar and things could get dangerous if they were more than friends, and Aang needed to apologize for putting her in that position. He was always doing something wrong nowadays.

Aang soon reached the swamp in the valley. The trees were looming around him and the water was knee deep and murky. Logs were littered around the water and bugs were pestering Aang nonstop. He swatted them away as he searched the brown water for frozen frogs.

The water was freezing cold. Since it was in the valley, all the melted snow was running down to the swamp and Aang was shivering. He crouched down and stuck his hand in the water. He felt around the bottom and cringed when he grabbed a frog. They were frozen but they were still gross. He skimmed the bottom for a few more and thought four would be good enough. (Even the Avatar needed backups)

*Whoosh* Aang jumped out the way out the projectile. Was that an arrow? "Ah!" He screamed as two more flew past him. He leaped over a fallen log and took cover and tried to get a plan together. Archers were dangerous to deal with. You couldn't fight up close with them and running away was suicide. He heard an arrow pierce the wood he was hiding behind. He had to move fast.

He sank into the water and laid flat on his stomach. The visibility was horrible but it was the best idea he could think of. He used his hands to dig into the mud and push him forward. He could hold his breath for a good while but that wasn't the problem. He didn't want to make circles around the area and waste valuable time. He shivered as his hands sunk into the cold mud.

So far, the plan was working great. No arrows had entered the water near him and he was going in what he assumed to be a straight line. Okay, maybe he spoke too soon. After he was congratulating himself on a great plan, an arrow struck a piece of his loose clothing, pinning his arm under the surface.

His head broke the surface of the water and he gasped for breath. He was tugging at the arrow desperately but it wouldn't budge. Another arrow hit his clothing, pinning one of his legs down. "ugh!" Aang pulled at the arrow again but his attempts were in vain. Within seconds, all his limbs were pinned under water and he was stuck. The archers surrounded him with their bows drawn. He was done for.

They must've knocked Aang out because when he woke up, he was in a cell, chained to the walls. The room was seriously small and the chains binding his arms were each chained to the opposite wall. His legs were chained to the floor too. And none of the chains were loose. They were all taut.

He hung his head down and sighed. He really just wanted to blame this all on Sokka since he was the reason he and Katara got sick. But Aang knew that wasn't his fault. "Look who is finally awake," A gruff voice called out from behind Aang. The voice didn't seem too familiar but Aang was sure he had heard it before… Aang remained silent. "I was hoping I could have a civilized conversation with you, just so you don't feel too hopeless." The man walked in front of Aang. He had large sideburns and a very arrogant look.

Aang did know him! He was the man he saw at the blockade! "Will it get me out of here faster?" Aang stared the man in the eyes to let him know he wasn't scared at all of the man. Though Aang had to admit he was a tad bit terrified.

"No, but it might make you death more bearable, the fire lord is on his way just so you know," the man crossed his hands behind his back and paced in front of Aang very slowly. Aang was sure the man was just emphasizing the fact he was free while Aang was chained up like an animal.

"What choice do I have then?" Aang snorted. He didn't see the point of having a conversation with the man…no wait, he did! He knew Katara was a waterbender, he must want to know where to find her since she did humiliate him in front of his.

"You have none," The man smiled, "I'm Admiral Zhao by the way, Avatar Aang. I believe we met unofficially." Aang shrugged awkwardly since he was still chained, "I also met your friend, the waterbender."

Aang knew it! But he knew better than to give in, "Yeah, she's like family. Do you have a family?" Aang turned the attention back on him. He didn't want any focus to be on Katara. Thankfully, he didn't know about Sokka.

"A wife and a daughter," Zhao said in an offhand manner. He didn't sound too enthused about having a family. "But enough about me Avatar, as I recall, you had a real family once, but something tragic happened to them." Zhao grinned in his face, "How does it feel to be the last of your kind?"

Aang smiled back. Two could play games, "Your daughter and I were working on fixing that before your archers interrupted." Aang grimaced and spit in his direction. If Aang could make Zhao mad enough, maybe it could aid his escape.

Zhao dodged Aang's spit but his insult was hard to take. How dare he say such a thing, "I'll make sure Fire Lord Ozai kills you slowly for that one!" and with that, Zhao turned on his heel and made way for the door.

"How about you fight me like a man and defend your daughter?" Aang called to him with a smile. Zhao paused at the door. Aang had him baited. Zhao gritted his teeth and ordered the two guards outside the door to prepare for a duel. He was going to show him what it meant to be a firebender.

Aang was dragged to the courtyard of the base in chains. Zhao was standing in the middle with soldiers lined against the walls. Aang frowned; Zhao must've had the whole base out here ready to attack Aang if he won. This would certainly put a damper on Aang's escape.

"Men, this is the 'mighty' Avatar," Zhao began with his usual smirk, "Master of all four elements and most powerful being to exist. And yet, here we have him in chains!" the entire crew of men cheered as the led Aang further into the courtyard, "He has insulted my family and I and we are to teach him some respect. The hard way." The men cheered again and laughed at Aang.

Aang was stopped in front of Zhao with about seven feet between them. The guards took the chains off of him and ran off to their positions with the chains in hand. Aang took an airbending stance as Zhao took his firebending one. Zhao was a decent sized guy. He was pretty intimidating too. Aang could tell he was muscular and strong. Aang wasn't too bad himself but he knew if he went for an attack without airbending, it would be like hitting a wall.

Zhao made the first move. He sent at least ten blasts of fire at Aang. He rolled out of the way and sent a slash of air at the Admiral. Zhao took the blast directly since he was preoccupied with sending more fire the Avatar's way. He landed on his back with a grunt.

Aang bended a small tornado and sent it to Zhao who was still trying to get up. The tornado sucked him up and spit him against a metal wall. Soldiers tried to help him up but Zhao pushed them away. He didn't want any help in defeating the Avatar.

Aang smiled as Zhao stalked back over towards him. He had really underestimated the young Avatar. "Ready to give up?" Aang asked with a grin. Zhao grimaced and walked closer, his hands clenched in flaming fists. He threw a punch at Aang who dodged it carefully. The guys fists were on fire! How was that fair?

Aang sent his own punch at Zhao but he ducked. Aang frowned and moved in closer. The guy was taller than him and had more reach. He was going to have to get close in to land a hit. Zhao threw another punch and this time, as Aang ducked, he punched him in the gut.

Aang moved back as Zhao went down on one knee. He struggled to catch his breath. That scrawny kid was going down! Zhao was developing a strong blast of fire and was jumping up at the same time. But something thwarted his plan, "Ribbit!" Zhao slipped on a half frozen frog and the blast of fire was sent off course towards Aang's side.

Aang screamed in pain and kicked Zhao in the face. Zhao's nose and mouth dripped with blood. Aang's side was burned and raw. "Get up and fight!" Aang barked.

The Blue Spirit watched from the top of the watch tower. The Avatar, though injured badly, was winning. Zhao didn't expect the kid to even be a challenge and now he was laying on the ground. The Blue Spirit observed the soldiers lining the courtyard. If he could get the Avatar out of the area, they would be free, save the archers.

The Blue Spirit took out a few small bombs. They would let out a harmful gas that made people lose their bearing or in some cases, pass out. It was exactly what he needed and now was the time. He pulled the pin out of them and threw them in the courtyard, making sure he didn't leave any holes. Then the Blue Spirit scaled down the watch tower and made his way to the Avatar who bended his own sphere of clean air.

The Blue Spirit took out his swords and pointed to the gate. Aang nodded in agreement and followed the masked person to the gate. The soldiers were stumbling around trying to figure out what happened. This made it even easier for the two to make it to the gate. "Stop!" Behind them, Zhao was running up, almost unfazed by the gas. "Attack them!"

"Don't you have a plan?" Aang asked bending Zhao into a wall. The masked person shook their head and hit a soldier with the blunt end of his sword, knocking them out. The person behind the mask smiled. Zhao would need the Avatar alive…he took his swords and moved behind the Avatar, placing his swords at his throat.

Everyone stopped moving. The gas cloud was wearing down and everyone could see what was going on, even Zhao. "Let them go," Zhao commanded. He couldn't risk the Avatar being killed and reincarnated. "Open the gates," The soldiers followed his orders though many of them were confused. Zhao pulled one of the archers to him, "You get up to the tower and you shoot the masked person down." The archer nodded and ran up to the tower.

The masked person and Aang were past the gate now. They were on the dirt road at an intersection. So far, Zhao hadn't moved to ambush them so they thought things were almost clear for a sprint.

"Now," Zhao signaled the archer. He notched an arrow and aimed at the person in the blue mask. His face was right above the Avatar's shoulder and it would be a tricky shot if they made a sudden movement. With a confident smile, the archer drew the string and after aiming perfectly, released the arrow.

The arrow traveled in a matter of seconds to its intended target, the Blue Spirit, and it was successful. The arrow hit the masked person in the face. The mask took most of the blow but it still knocked him out cold. Aang panicked and airbended a huge dust cloud around them. He sheathed the person's swords and threw him over his shoulder. And with his airbending, he ran them far away from the military base.

…..

"Momo," Katara muttered through a sore throat, "That's not water either." So far, Momo had brought back exotic vases, maps, food, and now, a crown. He even placed it on Katara's head. Not everything was completely clear for her because of the crazy hallucinations but she was sure all the objects were really there. "Where is Aang?" Katara asked herself as Momo ran off again.

"Who is this Aang person, Milady?" Sokka asked while laughing. He was done being an earthbender but he moved on to thinking Katara was royalty. "Is he your lover?" He teased her with more laughter. He swayed in his sleeping bag to point at her.

She coughed and pulled her parka tighter around her. Things were getting fuzzy again and she couldn't remember exactly who Aang was, but she knew he was important. She felt terrible for forgetting but she tried to think it through, "No, I think he's your lover." Katara's voice was unsure and anyone could tell she was trying to sort through her dazed mind.

"I knew it!" Sokka yelled in a raspy voice. He laughed like an idiot again and rolled over in his sleeping bag. He knew someone was in love with him!

Katara shrugged and assumed what she said was true. Hopefully she would remember more when she woke up again…

…..

Aang finally set the masked person on the ground. He ran them into the forest. When they left the base, it was dark and now, the sun was just peeking on the horizon. Aang felt terrible for leaving his friends for so long.

He sat down next to the masked person, who was still unconscious. Aang looked at the person. He was obviously a guy, Aang could tell that much. But his curiosity was getting the best of him. He had to know who was behind the mask!

Very slowly, he untied the mask and lifted it off. He really hoped he didn't wake up the person. As Aang removed the guy's mask, his eyes went wide. The person had a scar on his left eye and had pale skin. It was Zuko!

Aang backed away quickly and accidently snapped a twig. In the quiet forest, it was an extremely loud noise. Zuko's eyes twitched and he started to move. Aang was paralyzed in place. Zuko opened his eyes and felt for his mask. When his hand met skin, he sat up straight and saw Aang standing at the edge of the clearing.

They both stared at each for a moment, "Why did you do it?" Aang watched as Zuko narrowed his eyes at him. He had harsh golden eyes and Aang couldn't help but flinch under his stare. When Zuko didn't respond Aang answered for him, "I guess you just wanted the glory for yourself. And I felt bad for you. I had a friend from the firenation a long time ago. I thought you could help me, but I was wrong."

"You were wrong!" Zuko firebended above his head and ran into the forest while Aang was distracted. Aang grunted and held his side. He had a long walk.

He walked through the woods down to the swamp. The water was ice cold and still murky. Once again, he skimmed the bottom for a few frogs then stuffed them in his shirt pockets. The cool water felt good on his burn but he didn't want to risk infection so he moved on.

His last stop was the herbalist. And as much as he didn't want to go there, he had to hurry there and talk to her. "Come to talk to the cat again, boy?" She laughed and patted the white cat.

Aang pointed to his side. She gasped and hobbled over to a counter with tons of plants. "Crush these up and mix it with some water and rub it on your burn. It'll get rid of infection and heal up you burn in no time." Aang nodded and observed the lady. She was the same lady as before but now, she was acting like a normal person. He gave his thanks and hurried along to the camp where his friends were.

The trees around him were in early bloom and it made Aang's nose itch. He could tell it rained recently and it only amplified the smell around him. It was giving him a headache and that was saying something. He normally enjoyed nature and didn't get agitated by it.

He side was burning as the climbed up to the camp. Momo was sitting on the floor with Katara's water pouch full of water. Katara and Sokka were somewhere between awake and asleep and still laying on Appa.

Katara and Sokka were both sweating heavily and trembling. Aang grimaced at the sight of his sick friends. He pulled two frozen frogs from his pocket and stuck on in their mouths. They were slowly waking up, Sokka much slower than Katara. "HE'S BACK!" Sokka said while sucking on the frog. He laughed as told Aang, "Hello lover!"

Aang raised his eyebrows and shook of Sokka's comments. They must've been a part of his crazy dreams. Instead of listening to Sokka's rants about his lover, he sat down and grabbed her water pouch. He wasn't good with medicine and he much rather Katara do it when she woke up. He decided to wait instead.

Katara's eyes weren't glazed over anymore and her color was returning. She stopped sweating and trembling. Aang was seriously relieved. Sure his side hurt like crazy, but he was happy she was getting better. "Aang?" She asked in a hoarse voice. Aang realized she probably hadn't had any water since he left and felt terrible he left them alone with any assistance.

He took the frog out of her mouth and held the water pouch up to her lips. She gulped down the water. Aang was sure it wasn't a good thing to drink so much water that fast while sick so he took the pouch back and put the frog back in her mouth.

They sat in silence for a while before the cure finally set in. The frogs were starting to thaw and they looked nearly healed. Sokka was the first one to realize what he was sucking on, "Blah!" he spit the thawed frog out and looked at Aang, "And you aren't my lover!" he got out of his bag and stalked off to spirits know where. Aang shook his head, still not wanting to know why Sokka thought they were lovers.

Katara spit out the frog too and looked sick for a moment. "That was disgusting!" Aang laughed but gripped his side. The movement definitely wasn't good for his burn. "What happened?" Katara climbed out of her sleeping bag and knelt down next to Aang. He was still a little confused as to how frozen frogs could heal them so fast, but he brushed it off.

"It's a long story," He took the leaves out of his pocket, "The herbalist said to crush these up and mix with water." He handed her the leaves and she went to work with it. While she did that, Aang began to take off his shirt.

The burn was horrible. It went from his hipbone up to the bottom of his ribs. It reminded him of Zuko's scar, only on his side and much bigger. His skin was red and raw. He frowned as he examined his wound. He couldn't go anywhere without something happening to him.

"Aang!" Katara scooted closer to him and held a small bowl with a thin, green paste. "You have to tell me what happened1" she brushed her fingertips on the outskirts of his burn. His skin was burnt to a crisp and looked sickening.

"I will as you put whatever that is on it," He negotiated. She nodded and started to rub the paste on his burn lightly. Her fingertips were soft and the paste was cool. He expected it to hurt, but it felt amazing. "I got captured by Zhao, the guy with the sideburns, and had to fight my way out with some guy in a blue mask," Aang left out a lot of details, not wanting to make her nervous or make her go into her motherly mode. "The guy in the mask ended up being Zuko. Oh, and Zhao burned me in the middle of a fight. That pretty much sums it up."

Aang sighed as she ran her fingertips with paste across his burn again. Her face was scrunched up in concentration and her eyes cold, "All this happened because you had to get those frogs for us?" Aang nodded and she smiled the tiniest bit, "Well thank you. I'm sorry this happened to you."

Aang shrugged, "I'm sure it'll be fine." He watched her hands work with his burn. Her dark skin stood out against his pale skin and Aang couldn't help but think she was all the more beautiful. "It's going to leave a scar though."

She nodded and rubbed the last of the paste on him. "We'll do the same tomorrow," she told him as she took some of Sokka's bandages to wrap up his burn. "First you get your shoulder dislocated by riding a giant fish, then you get yourself cut by trying to help me, and now this," she shook her head and laid her hand gently on his side, "You have the worst luck."

He smiled at her, meeting her perfect blue eyes, "I don't even have to try!" she laughed with him and picked up his shirt.

She studied the burn mark and rips in it, "I'll have to fix this for you." she smiled at him again then leaned towards him, "thank you." she kissed his cheek softly and walked to Appa where her sewing kit was at.

Aang smiled; he needed to get hurt more often.

**Ah, I so hate writer's block. But it should go away by the next chapter since its going to be about as good as "Jet". I mean, who doesn't love drama? Oh, by the way, I got the 'hello lover' thing from the Avatar Abridged series. I had to put that in there! Don't forget to review or like my facebook page. All the support is appreciated greatly!**


	12. The FortuneTeller

**Another big thanks to Mustang and NCIS Freak. They made this chapter plot possible. My number of reviews is really going down, so I'm just going to have to write a really kick ass chapter to get my reviews up. Just saying, if there's a reason why people are losing interest in the story, just let me know what I can do to fix it. I was too lazy to PM the person who asked so: Zhao's family may play a small part when we get to book three. Other than that, nada; I just wanted to use his family to tick him off. And now for a chapter I've been anticipating for a while: The fortune-teller!**

The three sat around their camp on the stream. Aang and Katara had spent the last hour waterbending and putting medicine on Aang's burn. It had been a few days since he had been burned and the wound was healing well. Aang could move around and bend but the burn still hurt. But Aang was tough and did have some pride, so he worked through the pain.

Sokka sat across from his sister and Aang. They were talking, again, and Aang was fiddling with something. Katara was too busy talking to notice what he was doing. Sokka felt like he was going to be sick. They were so into each other and yet still so oblivious. He thought that he would rather watch them make out then he could at least make fun of them or something.

*Splash* everyone looked up to the small stream where the splash sounded. Sokka stood up, he knew what this meant: fish! The fish leaped out of the water again, teasing Sokka. He growled and ran for his fishing rod in his bag. He pulled it out and flicked it, expecting for fishing line to fly into the water, "Where did my fishing line go?"

"Oh, you needed that?" Aang asked innocently. He held up the fishing line in his hand. He had tangled it all! Sokka just stared at him but turned his attention back to the fish when he splashed again. Sokka threw his fishing rod to the side and dove in the thigh deep water. He was going to catch this fish! "Here, Katara, this is for you," he handed her the small woven necklace, "You know, since we haven't got your necklace back, I made a temporary one for you!"

Katara took the necklace from Aang, brushing his hand lightly as she did. She blushed at the contact and distracted herself by examining the necklace. It was woven together by fishing line but it was still beautiful. It had a decorative pink flower woven into the middle. "I found the flower at the dock where I bought the bison whistle."

Katara smiled a moved over to hug Aang, "I love it!" Katara smiled into his shoulder as he returned her hug. She made sure not to lean on his side with the burn. That would ruin everything and send him into pain. She pulled back from his hug and tied the necklace around her neck. "So how do I look?"

Aang blushed and rubbed his neck. She looked perfect, but he knew he couldn't say that out loud. Things were just turning back to normal and he couldn't make things awkward again. "All of you or just your neck?" he pulled on the collar of his clothes nervously, "because they both look great!"

Katara blushed and smiled. She would gladly take the compliment though it was really just Aang babbling. Sokka laughed and made kissy faces at Aang. Sokka had finally got the fish in his arms. It just so happened to be a big as his midsection and heavy, "Someone's in love!" Aang blushed even more. For a sixteen year old, Aang really had girl problems.

"Leave him alone, Sokka," Katara replied sharply. As soon as she said that, the fish he had caught slipped out of his hands and hit him in the face. Aang tried not to laugh as the fish dragged Sokka underwater. "Everything happens to him doesn't it?" Katara openly laughed at her brother's misfortune.

"And me," Aang grumbled poking at his healing burn. Katara frowned and applied more paste to the Avatar's wound. They were going to have to find a town soon to buy more medicine for Aang and the sooner the better. Aang winced as she applied the paste to a spot that hurt especially bad.

Sokka was now making his way out of the water and he was soaking wet. He had no fish and no pride. And now he had to deal with his sister and the Avatar flirting. He could tell it was going to be a horrible day already.

*Roar!* Sokka shivered and tried to warm himself up, "What was that?" Aang and Katara both jumped up, well Aang not as fast. Katara handed Aang his fixed shirt and helped him put it on.

"It sounded like a platypus bear," Aang told Sokka, "we need to go see what's going on." They threw all their stuff on Appa and walked down stream to where the sound came from. "That man's being attacked!" Aang airbended over a boulder and stood a safe distance away, "Make a lot of noise, you'll scare him away!"

The man was dressed dark blue and looked old enough to be Aang's dad. He had barely any hair and what was left was gray and thin. He was dodging the bear's attacks by ducking and sidestepping. He was making no attempt to actually save himself, "Everything is under control!"

Sokka and Katara were too climbing on top of the boulder to see what was happening. Sokka's eyes went wide, "Punch him in the bill!" At the same time he was giving advice, so was Katara, "No, run downhill and climb a tree!"

"Everything is fine," The man assured them again. This time, when he ducked, his hat almost got swiped the platypus bear. "That was a close on," he laughed to himself. The platypus bear swiped a huge paw again and the man stepped back narrowly avoiding it.

"We have to do something," Katara told Aang. They were only watching the man right now with no course of action. They could try to go and help but that was a death wish. Platypus bears were extremely violent and territorial.

Appa grunted and landed next to the bear. He was going to do something about this so he could get some extra food tonight, "Roar!" the platypus bear stopped dead in its tracks and laid an egg because it was so scared. He looked at Appa and saw the size of the bison. He was getting out of there!

Sokka jumped off the boulder and made a bee line for the enormous egg. He was going to eat good tonight! He sniffed the egg, nothing smelled better to him than fresh egg. Sokka took the egg and held it in his arms, "You were lucky that platypus bear didn't eat you."

"I assure you, everything was under control," the older man told them. He smiled at the young kids and straightened his blue hat, "Aunt Wu predicted I would have a safe travel." He picked up his package off the ground and put it under his arm.

"Who is Aunt Wu?" Katara asked making her way over with Aang. All the stress and bending had made his burn hurt even worse and now he was moving rather slow. His bandages would need to be changed sooner now and they were running low. If this man could lead them to a village, it would be amazing.

"She is our village's fortune-teller," the man explained. He held out his package to Aang offering it up to him. Aang took it but didn't open it up just yet. He was waiting for an explanation for all of this man's weird behavior. "Aunt Wu said if I ran into any travelers that I should give this to them. Have a nice day!"

Aang watched as the man walked away. Their town had a fortune-teller! Aang opened the package expecting some extravagant surprise. Only, what was underneath the brown wrapping was anything but that. It was a small purple umbrella. "This is weird," Aang said opening the umbrella above him.

As soon as the umbrella was opened, rain started to pour down. Katara stood closer to Aang so she too could get under the umbrella. "We should go see this fortune-teller," Katara told them, "We need supplies anyway."

Sokka stood out in the rain, clearly not making a move to get under the umbrella. "So the lady can predict the weather, big deal. It's probably all fake," Sokka was shaking from the cold rain and walking alongside Aang and Katara. Momo and Appa were walking behind them.

Katara glanced over at Sokka who had his arms crossed and jaw set. He was determined not to believe that the fortune-teller could really predict the future but why did that make him want to stand in the rain. "You know you could get under the umbrella," a gust of wind blew water around and Katara moved closer to Aang hooking her arms through his. The rain was freezing!

"And be a part of your groping session?" Sokka asked through clattering teeth, "I'll pass." Aang blushed and became very aware of Katara's hand resting on his arm. He didn't know why Sokka would choose to walk in the rain but he brushed it off and focused on their trip to the village. It was still raining and that was not a fun experience to endure on Appa.

It didn't take very long to reach the village. But by the time they did, Sokka was complaining and Katara was ready to waterbend him to death. He was complaining because he accidently dropped his egg a few miles back. The village was pretty small as were most isolated Earth Kingdom villages. The buildings were made of simple stone and had green rooftops. The place was nothing exotic or unusual to the trio.

As they walked through the village they were stopped at one house. A man with white bushy hair stood outside a green door with his hands clasped in front of him. He wore black robes and looked plain creepy to Katara. "Aunt Wu has been expecting you," And as soon as he said Aunt Wu and opened the door, Katara forgot all about her feelings towards the creepy man and ran inside. Aang and Sokka reluctantly followed in behind her.

A small girl who looked about twelve sat them down on some red cushions. The room was comfortable and smelled heavenly. It was full of colorful curios and bright cloths and curtains. Katara thought it was amazing!

Aang sighed and sat next to Katara. His side was throbbing from all the walking and he was tired. He wanted to get his medicine and go to sleep. But one girl had other plans. "Hey, I'm Meng," the girl who ushered them in leaned down to talk to Aang. She had bushy hair that was pulled into two braids. She had crooked teeth and a bad lisp. Aang normally didn't treat any one badly but this girl just came in at the wrong time.

"Hi," He said uninterestedly, "I'm Aang." He leaned back on one of his elbows and tried to relieve some of the pain in his side. The soft cushion was great but his wound was getting warm and making his sweat. Uncomfortable didn't begin to describe his situation. And this girl was not helping, at all.

"That rhymes with Meng!" She shouted and literally bounced up and down. Aang groaned and rubbed his side lightly. He was starting to feel like Sokka right about now. "You have really big ears don't you, Aang?" Aang didn't know it, but Aunt Wu predicted that Meng would marry a man with big ears. And unfortunately for Aang, he did have rather large ears.

"Um, yeah I guess," Aang said feeling one of his ears. Katara glanced between the two of them. Meng was clearly flirting with Aang, and though Katara was not dating Aang, she couldn't help but feel jealous.

"Don't be modest," Sokka laughed and pointed at Aang, "Your ears are huge!" Meng was silently cheering and Sokka was laughing at Aang's misfortune. This was one time that Sokka was glad girls were infatuated with Aang and not him. Aang flicked his wrist and sent a slap of wind into Sokka's face. He grumbled and rubbed the red spot on his cheek. Stupid Avatar…

"Okay, who is first?" An older lady walked into the room. She had gray and white streaked hair that was tied into a neat bun. She had wrinkles covering her face and tried to cover most of them with makeup. Sadly, it only made them more noticeable.

Sokka glanced at Aang who turned and looked at Katara. Neither of them wanted to be subjected to more torture at the moment. "I guess I'll go first," Katara said happily and stood up to follow the lady who they assumed was Aunt Wu. Aang watched as they disappeared down the hallway.

Meng excused herself and walked out the room. Aang let out a sigh of relief. That girl was really giving him the creeps. "What do you think they are talking about?" Aang asked fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He really didn't care right now since he was really agitated but the silence was becoming unbearable.

"I don't know," Sokka said laying down and trying to get comfortable, "Probably stuff like marriage and kids. You know girls are into their loves lives." Aang raised his eyebrows. This could be something worth hearing!

"I have to go to the bathroom," Aang excused himself and walked down the hallway where Katara and Aunt Wu had disappeared a few minutes ago. Aang crept silently down the hallway until he came to the closed door voices were coming through.

Aang leaned against the door to hear better and smiled when Katara's voice met his ears, "So I was wondering about some things…" she trailed off. Aang pushed closer to the door trying to hear every word she said. "I want to know about my future with love."

Aang's eyes went wide. Sokka was right! Oh Aang was so excited! This was way too good to be true, "Oh, you want to know about guys!" Aunt Wu chuckled and Aang assumed Katara nodded since she didn't answer. "Well, I see a very powerful bender in the near future for you." Aang had to stop himself from cheering aloud. A powerful bender? He was the most powerful ever! That had to be a good sign!

"Will he be tall and handsome?" Katara asked breathlessly. She couldn't believe it. She was getting insight to her love life for free! And this guy in her fortune was starting to sound a lot like someone she wanted to be with…

"He will be very tall and handsome," The fortune-teller assured her with a small laugh. Aang smiled; he was really hoping this guy was him. He knew he was tall but if he was considered handsome, he would gladly take that title. Katara let out a squeal of excitement and Aang's grin increased. "I take it you want to know about marriage and kids, too," Katara must've nodded again because the fortune-teller continued after a few moments, "You will marry very young and have many kids, three to be exact."

"Oh, really?" Katara's voice had jumped at least two octaves from excitement. Aang decided that he had heard what he came for so it was probably best to leave before he got caught. He really did not want to explain why he was eavesdropping.

Aang walked back to the front of the shop where Sokka was still sitting. Sokka raised his eyebrows at the bald monk. He was walking with an unusual confidence. Aang was normally a pretty humble guy but now his chest swelled with pride and he held his head up high. Sokka cleared his throat, "Did you have a good bathroom break or something?"

Aang stopped in his tracks. That was not what he expected to hear when he got back. He racked his brain for an answer. He had to think of something good fast. He laughed a little, "Yeah, while I was in there…"

Sokka held up his hands and shook his head, "I don't need details." Aang smiled and sat back down on his cushion. From what he heard from her fortune telling, he was going to finally work things out with Katara. Now he just had to figure out when.

Aang heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see Katara and Aunt Wu walking in. Thank goodness he left when he did. He would not have had an easy time explaining himself. And he didn't think any excuse would get him out of that embarrassing spot.

Katara glanced at Aang as she sat down again. Her face was tinted with a slight blush and her eyes were having problems focusing on him. If she understood her fortune correctly, the man in it was definitely Aang. And if it wasn't, well he was at least handsome. "Who is next?" Aunt Wu asked.

Sokka stood up and stretched, "I guess we should get this out the way." Sokka already didn't believe in this junk so he was definitely ready to get it out the way. Katara may have looked pleased with her reading but Sokka wasn't going to be as moved.

Aunt Wu stared at the young man in front of her. "Your life is going to be full of hardships and anguish," she paused and rolled her eyes, "Most of which will be self inflicted." Aunt Wu met a few people like Sokka in her time and she all too well knew their fate.

"Don't you have to read my palms or something?" Sokka complained. His life was not going to be filled with self inflicted pain! He was the happiest person he knew… besides his sister. But being an optimist and being happy were two different things!

"I don't have to," Aunt Wu sighed and rubbed her temple, "It's written all over your face." Sokka picked some leftover food out of his teeth and sat back down. He knew this was a waste of time. Aunt Wu waved at Aang to get up and he obliged. After hearing Katara's fortune, he was pretty confident in his own.

Aang followed Aunt Wu into a different room than the one she put Katara in. Aang looked around. There was a small fire burning in the middle of the room and behind it, there was a tray with a pile of bones. "This is bone reading," Aunt Wu told him, "It is the most reliable method. Go ahead and take a bone." Aang nodded and picked up a random bone off the top of the pile. He walked back over to Aunt Wu and gave her the bone and sat down across from her.

She placed the bone in the fire and began to explain what was going on, "The heat puts cracks in the bone and then I read them to tell you your future." Aang nodded. That was simple enough for him to understand. "Oh my goodness," Aunt Wu gasped as the bone split down the middle, "I've never seen anything like this!" The bone continued to splinter and break apart. All of a sudden, there was a huge explosion. Bone fragments flew upward along with red hot flames.

Aunt Wu gasped again, "You will be part of a conflict between good and evil. Its outcome will determine the fate of the world and humanity's survival!" She was on her feet now, thrashing her arms about. Her face was panic stricken and she was gasping for breath. Her old body was not handling this too well.

Aang sighed and rubbed his sore side with an uninterested expression, "Yeah I knew that already." He put his head in his hands and groaned. "You don't see love in my future?" That sealed it right there. If there was no love in his future, he would not get Katara. And that was the whole point of the trip here!

"You want to know about a girl?" Aunt Wu asked clearly confused. The boy in front of her had blue arrow tattoos, one on his head and one on each hand. She only knew of one person who would have these tattoos now. He was the Avatar. Surely the Avatar wouldn't be inquiring about love!

"Yes!" Aang leaned forward. That is all he wanted to know about. He needed to know if he was the person in Katara's fortune and he longed to know if he even had a shot with her. He had already got her to admit he was a good kisser (he counted that even though she wasn't in her clear mind at the time) and she was acting differently around him. But that wasn't enough for him.

"I'm sorry," Aunt Wu rubbed her forehead, "I did not see any girl in your future." She looked in the fire again and shook her head. She just told the boy he was going to decide the fate of the world and all he was focused on was a girl. They were all doomed, "Are you sure you're straight?"

Aang blinked. She did not just ask that. He was positive he was straight. He was sure he wouldn't react to Katara the way he did if he was gay. "Yeah, I'm positive I'm straight!" Aang said crossing his arms. He stood up and walked to the door, "Thanks for your time." He wasn't thankful at all.

…..

"That was a totally jip," Sokka said. They were walking around the village and talking about their fortunes. He kicked a rock in anger. The rock flew up and hit a sign only to come back down and strike Sokka in the temple. "Ahh!" he yelled rubbing his head.

"You're just upset because you found out you're going to make yourself miserable your entire life," Katara said with a smile. She was very happy right now. So in fact, that even Sokka's complaining could not sour her mood.

"That's not true!" Sokka yelled throwing up his arms, "I'm happy!" he crossed his arms and mumbled to himself. He was so damn happy he couldn't contain himself. It was just that stupid fortune teller ruining everything for him!

"Well certain things are going to work out very well for me," Katara smiled stealing a glance at Aang. He was walking with his hands in his pockets still limping some. They had already bought more medicine and applied it to his wound. He was healing pretty fast but he was going to be in pain for a while.

"Like what?" Sokka asked grumbling to himself some more. Katara's smile faltered. She was hoping Aang would join in on the conversation and ask her about her reading. But he kept limping along with his hands in his pockets, staring down.

Katara smiled brightly again just from the memory of hearing the good news, "I'm going to marry young to someone tall and handsome. Oh and he's a powerful bender." Katara smiled even wider, if that were possible, "And we're going to have three kids!" Katara blushed at that part, knowing that would stir up a horrible conversation with Sokka. The topic would rub him in a way that Katara knew would be bad for her.

"So what?" Sokka groaned. He didn't want to hear about his sister's love life. That's why he kept Aang around. His friend was supposed to listen to Katara about this stuff. He shrugged and looked away from them, "So you'll be busy, big deal."

Aang grinned at Sokka's comment. He must've been really upset to just brush off something like that. He could make fun of her a lot with this information. "I'm glad you're happy with your reading, Katara," Aang said. He wasn't sure if he was the guy in her reading anymore because of his own reading. He was really hoping his upcoming battle was so important that she couldn't read anything else. That way, it all was still there, just overshadowed.

"How did your reading go?" Katara asked unaware of the fact she was moving closer to him as they walked. She was really curious to see if his fortune worked out like hers. After all, if they were each other's future lovers, they readings would line up, right?

"I'm going to fight a huge battle that decides the fate of the world and she apparently thinks I'm gay," Aang mumbled the last part but Katara still caught it. They were now standing at the edge of a large crowd and Sokka had wandered into it to get the heck away from them.

"Well we knew the battle part," Katara told him lightly, "But gay? How did that happen?" She saw his face drop at the mention of it again. He obviously wasn't happy with the fortune teller at all.

"I asked if she saw a girl in my future and she didn't," Aang shook his head not wanting to continue on. Katara's eyebrows knitted together. Everything in his life revolved being the savior of the world. He couldn't live a normal life like everyone else. But Katara was sure that he had something else in store for him. The spirits probably didn't want him to be distracted or something.

"Well I was pretty sure I was in your future," Katara blushed when she realized she said that out loud. She had to cover up fast, "You know since we are traveling together and are best friends, we have to be in each other's future somehow." She let out a breath when she was satisfied with her quick thinking. That was too close. If she was right and the spirits wanted Aang to be focused, maybe it was best that she didn't force her feelings on him.

Aang smiled gratefully at her. He did catch her mistake and he could tell she was trying to smooth it over before he did. But Aang was pretty smart for a sixteen year old kid. She was just insulting his intelligence now. "Well…"

But Aang was cut off by the crowd cheering. Aunt Wu was walking up with her white haired assistant. They stepped up onto a raised gazebo and she held a book out. She looked on the horizon to study the clouds. The crowd of villagers waited anxiously for what she would say next, "This year we will have a great harvest!" Two farmers cheered and hugged each other. Aang finally realized that they were doing cloud readings for the entire year.

She flipped through the pages of her book again and cleared her throat, "A good year for twins, too!" two young boys high fived and then punched each other. She concentrated a little harder this time and flipped through a few more pages. This must be what the crowd was waiting for. "I predict that this year, the village will not be destroyed by the volcano!"

Everyone cheered and hugged each other. Aang looked around utterly lost. He looked up at the volcano that sat not too far from their village. They relied on a fortune teller to keep the town safe. Aang thought fortune telling was pretty cool and all, but to put everyone's safety on the line? He didn't understand why they didn't just climb the volcano and go see for themselves if it was active or not. Aang gulped; he was starting to sound like Sokka!

And went to go talk to Katara but she had already left. He sighed and looked around for Sokka. He was stomping over with a pout on his face. He was clearly upset too by the cloud reading. "You don't have to tell me anything, I know," Aang held up his hands and signaled for Sokka to just calm down.

Aang heard a giggle and turned to find the source. He glanced at Sokka who shrugged. Sokka had seen the creepy girl from the shop following them around not too long ago but brushed it off as a coincidence. Even if it wasn't it was going to be fun watching her stalk Aang, "Let's get away from here, Katara already left for another reading."

Aang nodded and followed Sokka through the village. He could've sworn he heard more giggling but thought it must be all the medicine he was putting on his wound. It must finally be making him crazy. "These people are insane!" Sokka told Aang again, "They are putting themselves in danger!" he moaned and continued, "The universe is going to have to prove something to someone here!"

He kicked another rock and grunted. Then, out of nowhere, a duck came flying at Sokka. It landed on his head and started pecking at him, nipping at his head and neck. "Ah! Why a duck?" Sokka yelled falling down to his knees. He was swatting at the duck desperately trying to get it off. "ugh!" he yelled starting to crawl away on all fours. The duck bit him again and he tried swatting it again.

Aang watched as Sokka disappeared around the corner with the duck latched on to his head. He chuckled at the sight and shook his head. Sokka should really stop insulting the universe. Sure it was funny to watch but it was really getting old.

…

Katara knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. She needed to know so much more! And she preferred much of it to be about this lover she was destined to marry. If she was going to marry young, she must be meeting him soon. Katara smirked, or maybe she already met him.

She shook her head. She remembered that she couldn't force herself on Aang now that she realized the he had other duties. She needed to keep a clear head about this situation. It wouldn't be good for anyone if he put one person over the world. "Yes?" Aunt Wu asked opening the door.

Katara jumped, "Oh I'm here for another reading!" she bounced up and down excitedly. Just because she promised herself she wouldn't throw herself at Aang didn't mean she couldn't think about it and her possible future with him. The war couldn't last forever.

Aunt Wu conducted another reading for the obsessed teenage girl. She wanted to know as much as possible about her future lover, "He will be incredibly thoughtful and loving." But Katara didn't stop there. She wanted to know everything about her life. She wanted to know what season she would be married in, "Spring." She wanted to know if her children would be benders, "Yes, two of them." She even wanted to know when and how she would die, "You will have had your third great-grandchild before passing away peacefully in your sleep."

Katara's eyes were wide with amazement. She knew so much now! She opened her mouth for another question but the white haired assistant threw her over his shoulder and carried her out of the shop. After he opened the door, he dropped her on the ground outside the door, "Do not come back."

….

Sokka eventually recovered from the duck attack and joined Aang where he left him, "Thanks for all the help." Sokka was dabbing a cloth at his cuts and brushing the dirt off of him. The stupid Avatar didn't even help him…some Avatar.

"I don't interfere with the universe's decisions," Aang laughed. Sokka grumbled and threw the bloody cloth on the ground. He didn't care if anyone saw him do it either. He thought the town was stupid anyway. "I need some advice," Aang stuttered.

Sokka looked up with an odd gleam in his eyes. The Avatar was asking him for advice? This definitely made his day better. "Let's hear it Arrow Boy," Sokka said stroking his chin. Aang raised his eyebrow but didn't make a comment about how weird he was.

"It's about a girl," Aang mumbled. Sokka already knew that Aang kissed his sister but it was still pretty awkward to talk to him about how much he liked her.

"Well you've come to the right place," Sokka threw an arm around Aang's shoulder as a brotherly gesture. "So is it about my sister or that creepy stalker girl who has been following us all day?" he pointed in the direction of the stalker girl, Meng. She was hiding behind a wall but you could see the hem of her pink and purple dress from behind it.

"She's here?" Aang brushed Sokka off and looked around desperately. He knew he heard giggling! He just didn't know it was that creepy girl from the shop. This is the second time he has been followed around by someone he didn't like. Fate was so cruel to him.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't worry about her, we'll be leaving soon," Sokka crossed his arms and pretended to be serious, "Now about my sister." Aang cringed and took a step back. "What do you want to know?" Sokka asked narrowing his eyes dangerously.

"How do I get her to like me?" Aang asked desperately. Sokka busted out laughing and patted him on the shoulder. He shook his head and walked away still laughing, leaving Aang confused. The poor boy couldn't see she was head over heels for him! Sokka shook his head. He had much to learn!

…..

Aang walked around the village searching for Katara. He was very aware of Meng stalking him now. It was mainly because she was doing such a poor job of it. The giggling and shuffling around was really driving Aang insane. He thought he would much rather Suki following him and Katara around. At least she gave him a cool fan. Sure he only used it once, but still.

Aang found Katara moping around trying to avoid stares. Word had gotten around fast that she was kicked out of Aunt Wu's shop and everyone was in shock. That was the first time Aunt Wu ever got tired of someone so fast. "Hey Katara," Aang said leaning up against the wall next to her.

"Hey Aang," She said sliding down the wall to sit on the ground. He shrugged and followed suit. It was nice to get off his feet for a while. "I got kicked out of Aunt Wu's shop," She said before he could ask what she was doing. He shot her an inquiring look and she answered with a simple, "I bothered her too much."

Aang smiled. Katara could be a bit much sometimes, but it was something he really liked about her…at the moment. "It'll be fine," Aang put a hand on her shoulder, "We could hang out!" He said the last part enthusiastically and with a huge toothy grin.

"I think I'll just go for a walk," Katara said nervously. She was really starting to hate that she told herself not to push herself on him. She also didn't want him to see her nervous like this. She knew he had to be the guy in her fortune. Who else could it be?

Before Aang could object, she jumped up and walked off to the opposite direction. He leaned his head against the wall. What was he doing wrong? He picked himself up off the ground and sighed. Was he really such a bad option? "Aang!" the Meng girl ran up to Aang.

She was two heads shorter than Aang and had difficulty looking up at him. He waved at the girl absentmindedly, "See you later." He walked off into the direction he saw Sokka go to earlier. He really needed some help.

"You know," Meng shouted to his back, "All girls love Panda Lilies!" Aang froze. That sounded romantic. Girls loved flowers right?

What he didn't know was Meng was hoping he would get the Lily for her. "And where can a guy find one of them?" That was what he needed! Katara would love something like that, wouldn't she? Then she couldn't reject him!

"On the top of the volcano," Meng said as though it were the most obvious thing ever. She batted her eyelashes though his back was turned. He was really going to get the Lily for her! He had to be the big eared lover from her fortune.

Aang smiled and ran to find Sokka. They were going climbing!

…..

"Why did you have to bring me along?" Sokka complained. They were scaling the volcano as he spoke. It looked big far away and up close, it was even bigger. The rocks were jagged and loose and Sokka was having a hard time climbing up the side of it.

Aang had the help of his airbending and his staff to lean on. Being a bender had its perks. "Who else was I going to bring?" Aang asked as they neared the top. Sokka was constantly complaining about everything. He gets mad when they leave him out of stuff and he gets mad when they bring him along. He could never be satisfied.

"You could've brought that stalker girl," Sokka grinned at the airbender's back. Aang pretended he didn't hear the comment. The stalker girl was probably hoping that the flower was going to be for her and Aang felt terrible that he was probably about to really hurt her feelings.

Aang pulled himself up to the edge of the volcano and picked up one of the flowers. It was definitely beautiful. It was white with red streaks and had four pedals. Aang put it carefully in his pocket and helped Sokka up onto the ledge. "I'm good now," Aang told him.

"You came all the way up here for a flower?" Sokka groaned. He kicked a rock into the volcano. The ledge they were standing on suddenly started to shake and Aang opened his glider and told Sokka to jump on the back fast. He didn't hesitate and it was with good reason. As soon as Aang had them in the air, the ledge collapsed into the volcano. "I think you need to stop kicking rocks," Aang yelled.

"Oh man," Sokka looked down. Red hot lava bubbled in the volcano and was dangerously close to the top. The volcano was active! And if it was active, it could erupt any minute! The village was in danger! "We have to go warn the village!"

"I'm way ahead of you," Aang told him. His side was on fire from the bending but he had to put all those things aside. He had to put his duty as the Avatar first. He had to save those people.

After flying down the mountain, Aang landed them in the center of the town and closed his glider. Katara rushed up seeing them fly in. "What's wrong?" She asked searching Aang and Sokka for bruises or cuts, "You shouldn't be bending with that burn still healing."

Aang brushed her off, "The volcano is active. We saw the lava ourselves!" Katara gasped and looked around at all the people frantically. They could all be in danger! And every last one of them believed nothing would happen to them. She shook her head, as much as she loved readings she had to draw the line of reason here.

Sokka walked onto the gazebo and tried to get everyone's attention, "Everyone you are in grave danger!" he was yelling and jumping around. Not many people stopped to listen to him and the ones who did just pointed and laughed. "The volcano is going to erupt at any moment!"

They all laughed at Sokka. He already had a reputation here. He was the science and reason guy. Aunt Wu told them all about his self inflicted anguish. The last thing they were going to do was listen to him. "It's no use Sokka," Katara pulled him along with Aang, "But I have a plan. Aang remember when you jumped through a cloud and found out it was water?" he nodded, "Well, we could bend the clouds and make a sign like Aunt Wu was reading. Only it would warn her of a volcano disaster!"

Sokka frowned, "I'm the idea person here!" Katara pushed him away and pulled Aang along with her, leaving Sokka in her wake for the moment being.

"I need you to do something big for me," She sighed and rubbed her temples. She knew about Aang's stalker problem via Sokka. She also couldn't help but notice when she was…observing Aang from a distance that the girl was following him. and she was about to use the girl's weakness against her, "I need you to flirt with Meng and get the cloud reading book."

"You're insane," Aang deadpanned. He turned around and started to walk back to Sokka. She was definitely crazy if she thought Aang was about to flirt with some poor innocent girl just for his benefit.

"It's not like I can go flirt with her," Katara said grabbing his arm, "and things end horribly when Sokka flirts with a girl." Katara turned him around to face her. She had on her best pouting face and her blue eyes seemed bigger than usual. "Please, do it for me."

And that is what ended Aang up in here. He was saving the flirting as the last resort, but he was snooping around Aunt Wu's shop trying to find her cloud reading book. But no matter where he looked, he could find it nowhere! "Aang," a small voice rang out in the quiet room. Aang was frozen stiff. He had been caught.

"Oh, hey Meng," Aang put his hands behind his back and smiled innocently. "I didn't see you there," He rubbed the back of his neck as the girl looked down.

"You don't like me do you?" She asked quietly. She had followed him around all day and noticed no matter where he went, he always ended up by the pretty water tribe girl. And the way he looked at her…it made Meng very jealous. No guy had ever looked at her with so much love and passion.

"Not the way you like me," Aang told her. This is the exact opposite of what Katara wanted him to do but Aang didn't have the heart to lead the poor girl on. She couldn't be but twelve and looked like she had major confidence issues.

"I can see why you like her though," Meng ran her hand over her unmanageable hair. The water tribe girl was beautiful and so graceful. She was the exact opposite of Meng. And secretly, Meng despised her for that. Aang nodded, too embarrassed to say anything. "And I'm giving you this," she handed Aang a leather bound book, "but only because I stalked you all day…and now I feel bad."

Aang nodded, "I won't tell anyone." She nodded then smiled. She ran forward and wrapped her arms around the monk's stomach and enjoyed the only hug she would get from him. He winced and pushed the girl off, "Ow…that was my bad side!" he gripped his side and made his way out the door before the girl could attack him again. He didn't know if he would ever tell Katara any of this embarrassing story.

"Okay guys, good luck," Sokka told them as they climbed into Appa's saddle. Aang had come back to them with the book but he was beet red. No one questioned him but he did receive some funny looks from Katara.

Aang nodded at Sokka. His job was to go start digging a trench. He wouldn't get much done alone but it was a start. "Yip yip," Aang said from the saddle. Katara was flipping through the book of cloud meanings while Aang looked for a good spot to make the cloud.

"Here it is," Katara pointed to a picture in the book, "the symbol for volcanic doom." She looked at Aang who nodded. They should be able to do something like that in a thick patch of clouds.

Aang took in a deep breath. They were almost up to the clouds and he was slowly losing courage in his plan. Well, it wasn't much of a plan. It was something he conjured in his short walk to find Sokka and Katara after he got the book but it was better than anything else he had at the moment. Aang gulped, "Katara?" she looked over and stared at the nervous Avatar, "this is for you."

He pulled out the Panda Lily from his shirt pocket. Thank goodness Meng wasn't tall enough to crumple it when she hugged him. That would've been disastrous. Katara took the Lily in her hand as they entered the light gray clouds. "It's beautiful, Aang."

The look on her face made Aang's heart pound twice as fast and made his stomach lurch, but in a good way, "Can we talk after we save the village?" She nodded with a slight blush. She put the flower in her braid and stood up as Aang did.

The clouds were light but Katara could feel the water on her skin from them. They would be perfect to bend. She sat the book between them and took a waterbending stance. The two benders mirrored each other and began their bending. Their arms moved gracefully in perfect sync drawing the clouds with them. Katara smiled as she looked at Aang across from her.

He was moving his arms in a perfect arch just as she did and the clouds obeyed effortlessly. He smiled and blushed under her gaze. Now he knew how she felt when he stared at her.

The sun was starting to set turning the clouds and sky a mix of pink, yellow and purple. The colors surrounded them just as the clouds they bended. It had to be the best thing either of them ever experienced. They moved their arms in one last downward movement and finished their bending. They both knelt down and caught their breath. It was trilling but exhausting to do some much bending while flying.

Sokka looked up at the sky. The clouds were reforming and shifting into a new position. That was his signal to move fast. He ran to Aunt Wu's shop and burst through the front door. Aunt Wu was sitting in the lobby rearranging cushions and knick knacks. "You have to come quick."

She nodded and followed the science and reason guy out of her shop to the center of the village. He pointed up into the clouds and spoke frantically, "Something is going on up there! The clouds are moving and stuff!"

Aunt Wu looked at the boy skeptically. He doubted her skills from the moment he walked into her shop and now he wanted her help? Sokka pulled on her sleeve and pointed up. Against her better judgment, she looked up into the clouds. And there it was. She knew that sign anywhere. It was the sign for volcanic doom. The sign she prayed to every spirit she would never see about this town. It was a skull shaped cloud protruding out from another cloud. "Oh no…" she whispered.

"We have to build a trench," Aang announced from behind the gathering cloud. Aunt Wu watched as the teenager walked gracefully up to the gazebo with the water tribe girl closely following, "If you're an earthbender, follow me, and if you are a non bender, evacuate immediately!"

"All nonbenders follow me!" Sokka announced. "Oh and Aang, I paid some kids earlier to start on the trench, they should be getting pretty far by now," Aang's eyes became wide. "I got the money off the ground, I swear," As they left with Sokka, Aang saw what he had to work with. Only about five earthbenders inhabited the small village. They were going to have to work fast judging from the smoke billowing from the volcano.

Aang led all the earthbenders to the trench Sokka started earlier. He was right. The two boys had already dug a small trench to the river off to the side of the village. But he knew it wasn't going to be good enough. The older earthbenders stepped up and began to dig the trench deeper. The rock they moved ended up on the side of the trench closest to the village, acting as a wall. Aang was impressed at how fast they were moving. But despite their efforts, he knew that it would be a close call.

Sokka ran back to the trench where Aang and Katara were digging. They weren't making much of a difference but it was something. "Guys the smoke is getting worse…" But before he could finish, a violent tremor shook the earth, "All of you leave!"

The earthbenders bended as much rock in their last moves and ran to the evacuation area outside of the village. All that was left was Aang, Sokka and Katara. "Go into the village, don't stay up here," Aang told them as soot began to fall.

"You must be stupid," Katara told him. But all Aang had to do was look at Sokka and nod. They both knew Katara's loyalty was a huge issue at times. Sokka grabbed her under the arms and started dragging her backwards off the trench wall into the village. They were close enough to help Aang but far enough away to make an escape on foot. And Katara didn't like it one bit.

Aang watched as the volcano erupted. Lava was shooting up straight out of the volcano and some of it was already running down the side of the slope down to the village. Aang gulped they were going to need a much bigger trench.

The lava was moving so fast that after Aang blinked, it was over halfway down the mountain side. He had seen lava once before at the island with Roku but for some reason, he feared it. Maybe it had something to do with his past lives…

More lava was racing out of the volcano and filling up the trench. Aang looked down from the wall at the fiery substance. It already had the trench half filled and wasn't letting up any. He knew of only one other thing to do. And he knew very well it was dangerous and stupid. Then again, no one was remembered for doing the safe thing in life.

He took in a deep calming breath and stared at the lava for a few more seconds. It was now or never for the young Avatar. He stretched his arms out to the side of him and sucked in as much air as possible. Then he jumped up and blew the air at the lava.

But it didn't go as planned. The lava shot up in a huge wall that towered over Aang. But he did have a backup plan. His extended arms were suddenly drawn in forcing more air towards the lava wall. The force shot him back to the trench wall where he landed.

When he looked up all he saw was a dark sky illuminated by the spewing lava and falling ash. The wall he just blew up stood solidified and black. The huge wall must've been blocking all the lava because now, no more hot lava was filling up the almost full trench.

As ash fell down around the Avatar, Katara watched in amazement. She had never seen such a display of bending. Aang single handedly stopped the lava from flowing into the trench only using airbending. "You know, sometimes I forget how powerful of a bender he is," Sokka said looking up at Aang's dark form at the top of the trench.

Katara blinked and looked at Sokka. She was so dazed from watching Aang, she had completely missed what he had said. She was captivated by the way the wind blew his clothes and outlined his muscles and how the glow of the lava from the trench reflected off his bald head, "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Sokka said still watching Aang stand on the trench, "Just that he's one powerful bender." Sokka looked down at Katara who was staring intently at Aang. He rolled his eyes. Even at a time like this, she was completely lost in the kid.

"So I've heard."

…

All the villagers returned by morning. Aang, Katara and Sokka had a sleepless night after leading the villagers home. The volcanic eruption didn't last long and thankfully, none of the village was damaged.

Aunt Wu pulled Aang to the side as they began packing to leave, "I believe you have something of mine."

Aang's eyes widen as he pulled the book out of Sokka's bag that he left with Aang. He handed it back to her, "How did you know we changed the clouds?" Aang thought back to Meng. Surely she wouldn't have told Aunt Wu about what they did!

"An old woman has her ways," Aunt Wu laughed. "I always wanted to tell you this; though I did not see love in your future doesn't mean there isn't any. Just like you changed the clouds you can change your destiny." Aang blinked at the wise words. He had always thought destiny was set in stone. "I think you should tell her, she is pretty obsessed," Aunt Wu patted Aang on the shoulder. "Hey logic and reason guy, get over here!"

Katara smiled as Aunt Wu yelled at Sokka. She walked over to Aang and stopped a few feet in front of him. He stepped forward slightly, "So about that talk." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He was really about to tell her!

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that," Katara admitted with a smile. She had indeed been wondering all about it. All kinds of possibilities raced through her mind. But the only thing she wanted to hear was 'I like you, Katara.' Katara mentally kicked herself. He did have to focus on being the Avatar…

"Yeah," Aang cleared his throat and took another step forward. "I've been trying to tell you this for a while, but I haven't been able to say it," he locked eyes with Katara. Her beautiful ocean blue eyes gave him a sudden burst of confidence, "I really like you, Katara. And…"

"And?" Katara asked. She was holding her breath. Saying 'and' was a good sign. If he would've said 'but' she wouldn't have stayed long enough to hear the rest. Her heart skipped a beat. Did he really just admit to liking her?

"Would you know…possibly consider," Aang paused and tried to swallow back the small bit of fear he had left, "Being my girlfriend?" He let out a breath he had been holding with the last word. He had got it all out. Now, it was her turn to say something.

Her heart hit her stomach. Did he really just ask? Her mouth was dry and she couldn't string to words together, "Um…" she looked down and gulped. "But you're the Avatar and you have this huge job…" she pulled on her braid nervously.

"You know excuses really suck," he said nonchalantly with a smile. She smiled up at him. Excuses did suck.

She closed the distance between them and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. "Do I really have to say it?" She asked, standing on her tip toes to barely reach his face. He leaned down and smiled. She took that as a no.

She brought his face down to hers and kissed him full on the mouth. He rested his hands on her hips and brought her as close as possible. Their first consensual kiss was nothing short of amazing. They were sleep deprived and smelled like ash. Their clothes were dirty and their faces smeared with soot. But none of that stopped them from enjoying a perfect kiss.

Unfortunately for Sokka he looked over at the wrong time. Aang was slipping his tongue into Katara's mouth and shivers went up Sokka's spine. It had to be the worst thing he had ever witnessed.

"Mr. Universe, I take it back! I rather watch them flirt not make out! OOGIES!"

**So what did y'all think of that. I had to put the oogies thing in there after reading The Promise. Sorry about mistakes but it's like almost one in the morning..blah. Their relationship won't be moving very fast and some problems are sure to arsie! So review and tell me what you guys thought.**


	13. Bato of the Water Tribe

**Gosh, I've been so busy…so sorry the updates are becoming less frequent. It also doesn't help the Olympics are on and I HAVE to watch volleyball (Japan and Italy are playing right now. Awesome games. The Italians are really playing a great game but Japan keeps coming back. I'm a jock… just ignore all that.). It's my addiction. And my wisdom teeth are coming in. Talk about some ear and headaches. Oh by the way, the Fortune Teller was my most reviewed chapter by far. Hopefully this chapter gets at least a fraction of that. I can't express how happy I am. Thank you guys so much! And if you want to start reading a good upcoming author, look up Karaoke-Lover. They're just starting out but their stories are pretty good! Now, on with the story?**

"As leader," Sokka began in his big brother voice. Katara moaned. She thought Sokka forgot about declaring himself as leader, but apparently not. Aang glanced over at Sokka who looked very aggravated, "I think a new rule needs to be put in place."

"We already can't say 'love' and 'adventure' in the same sentence," Aang complained. Knowing Sokka, this was going to be something extremely stupid that would have something to do with Aang and Katara's new relationship.

Things had been very awkward for the two young benders the past few days. Katara had finished healing Aang with the medicine they bought but applying it was…interesting. She was already painfully aware of Aang's well defined body but now that they were together, it was still awkward to be caught staring during his healing sessions. Katara couldn't thank the spirits enough now that Aang's burn was much better and didn't need constant cleaning and medication.

"That was for a good reason," Sokka shivered at the memory. That was not their best time as a group. "Besides this one will benefit everyone!" Sokka said enthusiastically. They were all walking through the sparse forest together. Appa needed a rest from all the flying and the group had no choice but to walk.

Katara and Aang were walking next to each other, occasionally brushing hands. Each time they did, they would both blush and try to look away. Aang hoped that now that she was his girlfriend that the awkwardness would go away but it was still there for the moment. It was slowly going away but not fast enough for Aang. He looked around for any excuse to shut Sokka up and was very happy to actually find something. "Hey, look at this," Aang said and jogged over to the stick protruding out of the ground.

He pulled it up and was surprised at what he saw. It was a tooth of some sort attached to make a spear. "It's water tribe!" Sokka yelled. He ran off in another direction looking for more stuff as Katara walked over to Aang. He handed her the spear as they followed Sokka.

Sokka pushed through some shrubs but came to a stop. There were burn marks everywhere and spears and knives in tree trunks. There had been a huge fight here and some water tribe warriors had been involved. Sokka's heart was beating out of his chest as he looked around more. "We have to find a beach," Sokka said as Katara and Aang walked through the shrubs over to Sokka. "The water tribes travel by boats."

Sokka ran off into the direction of the ocean after consulting his map. Katara's pulse raced as they ran after Sokka. If he was right, this could be their dad's fleet. She hadn't seen her dad since he left for war and if it was really him, she could finally tell him about everything that he missed. She could introduce him to Aang. She couldn't even breath right just thinking about it.

"There it is," Sokka slowed to a jog as they ran across the sandy beach. He slowed to a stop in front of the one water tribe boat. It was brown and blue with one blue sail. It was the only boat on the entire beach. Sokka's heart dropped. Why was there only one boat?

"Sokka no one is here," Katara said putting a hand on his shoulder. Katara knew there had to be at least one soldier around here for them to abandon a perfectly good boat. "Maybe we should just set up camp here until someone comes back." Sokka nodded and sat down in the warm sand. If there was a chance his dad was here, they had to wait for him.

Aang collected some firewood from the tree line and brought it over the where Sokka was sitting. He dug a small pit and set up the wood. By the time Aang had the fire lit Katara was back with some berries and nuts for a small snack. Aang sat down around the fire and Katara sat down next to him. She didn't know how long they could afford to wait but something told her it wouldn't be in vain.

…

Iroh was making more tea as usual and enjoying the nice relaxing time while docked on the ship. Zuko was draining his Uncle's tea pots. They haven't seen the Avatar in a while and all he had to go on was that stupid water tribe peasant's necklace. He was hoping the tea would calm him but he was having no luck. "Uncle what are we going to do?"

"About what?" Iroh asked pouring him another cup of tea. He had never seen Zuko drink so much of his tea before. He was pretty happy he was trying to relax but upset at his poor results.

"The Avatar," Zuko answered through gulps of tea. He had no idea what to do. He had no leads and had been aimlessly heading north since that seemed to be the Avatar's destination.

"Oh I thought you were asking about the Shirshu on the deck," Uncle shrugged drinking his tea. He had a feeling that he should drink what he could now since he wouldn't be able to finish it for quite a while.

Zuko stood up and banged his hand on the table, "Why is there a Shirshu on my ship, Uncle?" Iroh shrugged and sipped the rest of his tea. Zuko growled and stomped out of the room down to the deck. His men were in some serious trouble. When he got outside, he noticed that a woman was on the back of the blind animal. "What are you doing on my ship?" Zuko demanded.

"Looking for a stowaway," The woman said angrily. She already didn't like this guy giving her problems. She had a job to do and money to earn. She could very easily just paralyze him…

"There are no stowaways on my ship so get off!" Zuko yelled. The animal stopped sniffing and ripped a piece of metal off the deck of the ship and threw it towards Zuko. He yelped and rolled out of the way. Just as he was about to give the woman an earful, the Shirshu flicked its tongue, lifted a man dressed in green out of the ship and ran off with him. Zuko growled. She was going to pay for this.

…..

Sokka poked at the fire with a small twig and rested his elbows on his knees. The night was getting cold and his head was starting to pound. The sun only set about an hour ago but Katara was shivering. Aang wrapped his arm around her as a small gesture to warm her up. She smiled and leaned into him. Sokka looked sighed. He wished his dad was here. Then they could really be a happy family.

_Sokka took the time to paint his face in the traditional water tribe paint. He was young but he was strong and smart. He was just like his dad. And he was finally going to prove himself. He grabbed his packed things and grabbed his whale tooth spear. He ran off to wear the warrior's ships were docked. Now was his time! "Dad wait up!"_

_Hakoda turned around and looked down at his young son. He was dressed like a warrior and wore the face paint of one. He carried packed clothes and a weapon. He couldn't help but feel pride swell up in him. His son was already turning into a man. "Sokka you can't go," He said gently putting a hand on his small shoulder._

"_Why not Dad?" Sokka asked in a small voice. Snow fell around them and made Sokka's face paint feel even colder. "I can fight, I'm strong enough," Sokka told his dad with fear in his eyes. He couldn't imagine staying where his dad wasn't. He couldn't do that._

"_I need you to watch over the village," Hakoda told his son. Hakoda was the chief putting Sokka next in line. "I need you to take care of Katara," He told him. He hugged his son and walked onto his boat. Nothing had even hurt the two so much. But Sokka didn't cry as he watched the boats sail away._

He swallowed back the painful memoryand poked at the fire some more. He could still remember the pain he felt. Sokka wasn't the emotional kind of guy but it would leave a hole in his heart thinking about his father leaving them with just each other and Gran Gran. "Did you hear that?" Aang asked.

Katara sat up from leaning on Aang to look around for the source of the noise that only Aang heard. "What did you hear?" Katara asked scooting closer to Aang. There was nothing creepier than sitting around a campfire in the dark and hearing weird noises. "Was it an animal?"

"No it sounded like someone moving branches," Aang wrapped his arm around Katara tighter and threw a rock at Sokka to shake him out of his daze. "Sokka, oh great leader" Aang jolted him out of his thoughts, "I'm guessing you didn't hear anything either."

"No," Sokka said shortly. Aang's face dropped. Sokka didn't even scold him for throwing a rock at him and making fun of him. Now they had two problems to deal with. This was getting worse by the second. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"Well, I think I'm something," A deep voice said. Aang jumped up and grabbed his staff and pointed it at the intruder. Sneaking up on the Avatar was probably not a wise move for anyone. Katara jumped up to but paused when she saw who it was.

The man was wearing blue clothes and had bandages wrapped around his chest and torso. His hair was down to his shoulders and a dark brown. His eyes were a sharp blue like Sokka's and his skin was dark like Katara's. "Bato!" She yelled and ran towards the man. She wrapped him up in a huge hug and Sokka looked up to see if it could be true.

"Katara!" the man smiled and hugged his best friend's daughter. "And Sokka," He extended his arm and invited the young man into the hug too. Sokka smiled and joined the two. They had grown up knowing Bato since he was always around their father. "It is truly a surprise running into you out here," He laughed and hugged the tighter.

"Well it surprised us too," Katara pulled back from his hug, "You nearly gave Aang a heart attack." Katara smiled at her boyfriend. She felt bad that she just left him there but she was sure she could apologize later.

Aang was standing with his staff still in hand and in an airbending stance. His eyes were wide and his jaw set open. He had no idea what just happened. He knew the man wasn't their father but he didn't know who he was. "I'm fine," He assured her.

Bato let the two out of his embrace, "And who would this young man be?" Bato asked raising his eyebrow. It was already strange enough for him to find his friend's kid on a random beach a long ways from home but now there was a weird kid with tattoos with them.

"That's Katara's boyfriend. He's the Avatar," Sokka rolled his eyes and talked about Aang like he was no big deal. Katara was upset that Sokka gave him such a poor introduction but she smiled at Aang who was blushing.

"The Avatar, huh?" Bato laughed and walked over to the young bender. He gave him a traditional water tribe handshake by gripping his forearm as Aang gripped his. "Since Hakoda isn't here to scope you out, I guess I can take his place. Not just any guy can take Katara," Bato said seriously.

"Yes sir!" Aang's eyes got big and he was nodding his head frantically. He didn't know who this guy was but he stood a full head taller than Aang and looked a lot stronger. He definitely wasn't going to be getting on his bad side.

He turned away from Aang and walked back to Katara and Sokka, "Do you guys want to come back to where I'm staying, it's much better than being out in the open." Bato wrapped his arms around their shoulders and gave them both a big smile. He didn't even wait for their answer. He steered them around and led them to his temporary home. Katara turned her head around to face Aang and motioned for him to follow. He blew out the fire with his bending and followed the three water tribe people. He had a bad feeling about this.

They followed Bato to his temporary home. Inside, it was the exact replica of a southern water tribe home. Fur pelts hung on the walls and covered the floor. It smelled like a dinner of sea prunes. "It's just like home," Katara gasped. She had to admit, she was homesick at some points during their travels, though she loved moving around and seeing the world.

"Yes it is," Bato said sitting down next to the small fire heating up a pot. "Take a seat," he told them. Sokka sat down next to Bato and Katara sat on the other side of Sokka. Katara looked at Aang and motioned for him to sit next to her. He sat awkwardly between Katara and Bato. The guy really scared him. "I guess you're wondering why I'm here," Bato said while pulling out four bowls. Katara and Sokka nodded.

He gave them each a bowl and told them to help themselves to the sea prunes. Katara and Sokka obliged but Aang politely refused at the moment. "The other men had to leave me behind. I was burned very badly in a battle a few days ago. They brought me to this abbey to heal. The sisters have been helping me greatly when they aren't making lotion and perfume."

Sokka didn't laugh at his joke, "How will you find the fleet again?" Katara ate her sea prunes and listened to Bato's story. She didn't know why her father would just leave Bato behind like that. He could've healed while traveling with them. Aang did it all the time and took care of them.

"I waiting for a messenger to send me a map," Bato said eating his dinner. Sokka nodded and pushed his food away. Aang looked around at all of them. They were now listening to Bato tell stories about their father's and his adventures. Aang sat uncomfortable as they recalled all their times with their family.

…..

Zuko barged into the tavern with his uncle. He saw the woman's Shirshu outside and he knew she would be in here. And he was going to get his money back. In his own way. Shirshu's used their keen nose (they had no eyes) to track down anything with a sample of the scent. They could find anything in the world. And he knew just what to do.

As soon as they walked in, they saw her. She was wearing black clothes and boots. Her shirt was cut off at the shoulders showing off her red tattoo. Her black hair fell down her back and she wore dark makeup. She was pretty in an intimidating sort of way. And Iroh could appreciate that.

She was drinking out of a cup and had her feet propped up on the table. Zuko marched right up to her and leaned over her. "You damaged my ship and now you're going to pay me back."

The lady, June, looked up at Zuko, "I told you I wasn't going to pay you any money." She looked back down and took another shot of her drink. This grumpy guy with the scar was really getting on her nerves. "Now go away."

Zuko pulled the necklace of his wrist. "You're going to help me find someone," He growled. He didn't care about money anymore. He had a way to find the Avatar and he had to use it.

"Oh, your girlfriend ran away?" June laughed and took another shot of her drink. "I can't blame her. But I'm not sure if I want to help you stalk some girl." She swung her feet off the table and walked out the tavern. Zuko and Iroh followed behind her. They weren't taking no for an answer, well, Zuko wasn't at least.

"She's not my girlfriend. Besides, I'm not looking for a girl, it's the guy she's traveling with," Zuko told her. She walked over to her brown Shirshu and started to pet it. "You're going to help me find him and I'll forget about the damage to my ship."

June looked at him, "Why does it not surprise me that you're looking for a guy?" Iroh chuckled and watched Zuko and the woman. "But I don't work for free." She mounted her animal and was about to leave.

"We'll pay you your weight in gold," Iroh offered. Zuko looked at his uncle like he was crazy. He had this under control and his fat uncle was ruining everything! He couldn't go running off with their gold like that!

"Make it your weight in gold and we'll have a deal," June smirked.

"Deal!" Iroh climbed onto the Shirshu behind June and Zuko grabbed a hold and gave her the peasant's necklace. This was getting to be a terrible chore.

….

"I can make you guys a deal," Bato said leaning forward, "When I get the map to your father's location, you guys can tag along and finally see Hakoda."

Sokka's jaw dropped, "I would love that!" Katara smiled brightly, lost for words. "I can't believe this!" Sokka was bouncing up and down and trying to contain his excitement. Katara was happy but she knew she couldn't go. She had to get to the North Pole with Aang.

Aang stood up and walked out the tent unnoticed by Bato and Sokka who were goofing around now. Katara watched as he left. She knew he was uncomfortable with Sokka and Bato and she felt horrible that she was making it even worse. She stood up and followed Aang outside, ignoring Bato's stares. Sokka was used to their strange behavior. "You get used to it. They have some weird bond. They talk _everything_ out."

Bato watched as Katara left after Aang. She was so much like her mother it was laughable. "What is the problem?" Bato asked Sokka when they were gone and out of earshot. He didn't know what they did to make Aang leave.

"He probably just feels bad for holding us back from our family," Sokka began and started eating more sea prunes, "We have to get them both to the North Pole so they can leave the North Pole. Aang probably feels like everything is his fault."

Bato looked where the Avatar was sitting moments before. He seemed to a humble an honorable man. Bato smiled. Katara always had a knack of befriending the best people. She was definitely like her mother.

…

Aang sat down on the beach and looked out into the ocean. It was rough today and the waves were crashing against the shore. It really reflected how he was feeling at the moment. He felt conflicted. He didn't want to be selfish and tell Katara and Sokka not to go but he knew he couldn't do anything alone.

Aang's thoughts were interrupted by an ostrich horse sprinting down the beach. An earth kingdom messenger was riding on the back. He stopped in front of Aang, "Do you know Bato of the Water Tribe?"

Aang nodded, "I'm camping out with him tonight." The messenger gave Aang the scroll and rode away probably to deliver another urgent message. Aang unrolled the scroll and found himself looking at a map. It was a map to their dad! Aang panicked and rolled it back up. He had to tell Katara. She would know what to do.

"Aang," she always had good timing. She found Aang sitting on the beach with a scroll in his hand. She sat down next to him, utterly confused. Aang did have a tendency to run from his problems but she didn't understand this one. "What is that?"

He shook his head and sighed, "It's the map to your dad's location." Aang didn't know why he was so at ease telling her knowing she would want to go. He knew that would mean leaving her behind so she could be happy. They didn't have the time to have a side adventure. This was Aang's luck: getting the best girl on earth and losing her because of the stupid war.

Katara looked at the map in his hand. She too knew what it meant. Her thoughts were paralleled with Aang's. She shook her head and pushed the map closer to him, "Keep it, we can't tell Sokka." Katara thought for a moment, "If he asked why we stayed out here so long, what do we say? We can't risk him finding out the messenger found you and we stayed out here to plot against him."

"We're not plotting," Aang said calmly, "We're deceiving, there's a huge difference." Katara gulped at the same time Aang did. Katara could lie to protect someone but Aang, well; he wasn't always a great partner in crime. He had a conscience. "We can tell him I was upset about being left out and we came out here to talk and make out. Then he'll get the 'oogies' and leave us alone."

Katara cringed at the word. She couldn't stand Sokka using it, much less Aang. She didn't even know what the oogies were! "Are you upset?" She asked quietly. She still felt guilty that she had not thought about Aang being uncomfortable during their reunion with Bato.

"I don't think upset is the right word," Aang said truthfully. He extended his long legs in front of him and leaned back on one of his elbows so he could turn a little towards Katara. It felt nice for him to stretch now that his side was healed. "I felt like I was intruding," he admitted looked down to examine some sand.

Katara sat with her legs crisscrossed and leaning a little towards Aang. "I don't think you were intruding, I think we just left you out of everything, I'm sorry," she too looked down, ashamed of what she was saying.

Aang shrugged and sat up, dusting the sand off of him. He didn't really understand how they could talk about something and be perfectly fine minutes later. Maybe that was a good sign, "I'm sorry for all this." He stuffed the map in his shirt pocket, out of view. "I wish you would go see your dad."

She narrowed her eyes in thought. Part of her really wanted her to see her dad. But that was the selfish part of her. The other half of her told her she needed to stay with Aang. He needed her. He did get in a lot of trouble after all. Not only that but she didn't think it was possible to leave him. Just thinking about it sucked all the happiness out of her. "Some things are worth sacrificing for," She remembered saying that to him once before and he apparently remembered it too.

"Well, I'll sacrifice meat for you," Aang grinned. He had problems staying too serious for any amount of time. He much rather hear her laugh than see her sad. And if he could make her laugh, then it would make his day.

"You're a vegetarian!" Katara playfully slapped his arm. He pretended to be hurt and turned away from her holding his arm. "Oh stop faking," she laughed. Aang smiled. He loved hearing her laugh. It wasn't an annoying laugh like most people. Her laugh was like listening to the most beautiful music ever heard.

"I am not faking," he insisted. "This would be faking!" he cleared his throat and paused for a moment. He clutched his arm and started to breathe rapidly, "I think you broke my arm!" he gasped and fell down from his sitting position and his head landed in the sand. Unfortunately, it was a rather stiff patch of sand and it must've had a rock in it. "Ow!" he cried out. He rubbed his head, "that was a rock."

Katara laughed again, "You are such a little kid sometimes." He shrugged with and gave her a silly grin. She would never admit this out loud, but that was her favorite smile. He crossed his arms and looked away from her. "I meant that as a compliment," she told him with a giggle.

"Saying I'm a great kisser is a compliment too, right?" he asked with a wide grin. He knew he was going to use that against her some time, and it just happened to be now. Thank the spirits for her being delirious at the time or he would've never known.

"Who told you that?" She asked defensively. The first thing her mind jumped to was that Aang had kissed someone else and she told him that he was a great kisser. It must've been that Meng girl, or maybe it was Suki! But if it was Suki, then that means he must've kissed her willingly because he would've been screaming his head off from terror.

"You did," His eyes had a gleam in them that she couldn't place. Was he proud of himself? For starts, when did she tell him that? "Oh, you said that while you were sick," he said reading her mind.

Her mouth was set in a straight line. She was more embarrassed than anything. She couldn't believe she would say that even if she was sick. A blush crept onto her cheeks. "Then it could be very possible that I was dreaming you were actually a good kisser."

Aang's eye twitched and his smile faltered, "Oh, you're good." She put him in his place with one sentence. Just when he thought he had something on her, she could prove him wrong and leave him back where he started. She was too good.

"Yeah, I know," she shrugged and moved closer to Aang who was still laying in the sand. Aang was actually a great kisser. It really made her confused because he had grown up a monk. But, hey, why should she complain now? Kissing him was actually the only concern she had.

"Since I'm not good at kissing," Aang muttered seeing her draw closer to him, "maybe we should practice, a lot." He grinned when she blushed.

Her braid fell over her shoulder and her hair loopies were close to brushing Aang's pale face. Her eyes were half closed but Aang could still see the blue peeking out from under them. Her lips were slightly parted and her breathing was calm and deep and her chest moved with the even pace of her breathing. Aang thought she had to be the most beautiful person to walk the earth. One corner of her mouth turned up slowly, "That's exactly what I was hoping for."

…..

Morning came by fast after night. Katara was the first one up. She was waiting for Bato to wake up and possibly Aang. Sokka was always a late sleeper so she wasn't concerned about him. She needed to talk to Bato about the map. And Sokka could not interrupt that.

Bato hadn't said anything about last night when Aang and Katara came back. She assumed he was just respecting her privacy but Sokka hadn't. He demanded to know what they were doing and when Katara told him they were talking, he almost had a panic attack. He said no teenage couple in their right mind just 'talks'. Bato had been really calm about the whole situation. All he did was tell Sokka to calm down. Katara owed him. So she decided to tell him about her and Aang's secret.

"Katara," Bato said as he saw everything she was making. She had taken upon herself to make breakfast. She needed to get on Bato's good side when she told him of the news. "You're up early." Bato sat down next to Katara as she made breakfast.

"I need to talk to you," Katara began. She continued talking in a hushed voice, "The messenger found us. We have the map that leads to dad. But we can't tell Sokka. We have to get Aang to the North Pole and we can't back track," Bato was about to interrupt but Katara went on, "When we get ready to leave, Aang will give you the map so you can find him. We just can't waste any more time."

Bato stared at Katara. She was definitely not the young girl they left at the Southern Water Tribe. She was turning into a strong, smart young woman. She already knew of sacrifice and duty. Hakoda would be proud to see his daughter becoming into such a great person, "Your father would understand and be proud."

"Would understand what?" a groggy voice asked. Katara and Bato's eyes went wide. They didn't think it was possible for him to be awake so early. Sokka couldn't be up.

Bato thought for a moment and came up with something off the top of his head. "I was just saying your father would understand about Katara's situation with Aang. You know it is customary for a young man to ask permission to court a young lady like Katara. I would say Hakoda would be pretty proud that Katara found such a formable young man. Despite the circumstances of course." Bato was babbling now, trying to cover up for their bad timing, "I'm sure any father would make an exception for the Avatar since he is such a fine man."

"Can we stop talking about me?" Aang asked sitting next to Katara, "I don't think Sokka likes getting the oogies this early in the morning." Bato sighed as Sokka agreed and shut up. That was a close one. Aang leaned over and kissed Katara on the temple and ate breakfast with the rest of the group.

Bato broke the silence, "Sokka, I think we need to take you ice dodging." Sokka looked up in awe and Katara rolled her eyes.

"It's about time Sokka becomes a man," she said cleaning up the pot from breakfast. Sokka responded with a loud 'hey!' and Aang and Bato just laughed. "But where will you get ice?" Katara asked.

"We'll just dodge rocks. It'll be just as exciting and dangerous," Bato assured them. Aang smiled. This sounded pretty fun. Bato turned to Aang to fill him in on what ice dodging was, "In our tribe, ice dodging is a rite of passage for all boys who turn fourteen. It is sort of like you getting your tattoos I guess."

Aang nodded. Sokka gulped down the rest of his breakfast. His father couldn't take him ice dodging before he left because Sokka was too young. Now Sokka was fifteen and a year past due for the ritual. He decided that meant he should be even more prepared for the experience, "Let's do it."

….

Bato positioned them on his ship. "Sokka you steer. You're quick thinking will have to guide the ship." He moved to place Katara at the ship, "You will direct the main sail. It takes a brave person to hold their own against it." And then he moved to Aang. He took the young Avatar by the shoulder and led him down the ship, "Aang, you will work the jip. Everything relies on you. If you can't pull through, we all go down." Aang couldn't help but feel guilty. He was supposed to be honest with everyone and he was hiding things from Bato and Sokka.

Bato went and sat at the front of the boat. It was tradition that the man didn't help the younger kids. This was a ritual for them to prove themselves. Sokka cleared his head as the boat started to move towards the rocks. "Katara pull the sail to the right. Aang keep a tight hold." Sokka had both hands on the steering device and was moving the boat to the safest path.

Water was spraying everywhere and the wind was blowing everyone on the deck around. The first few rocks were dodged successfully and Sokka was feeling pretty good about himself. But Aang was so occupied with his job that he didn't noticed the map edging out of his pocket.

Another strong gust of wind blew on the deck of the boat and it was just enough for the map to break free from Aang's shirt pocket. The piece of scroll flew back and landed right on Sokka's face. The water spraying around made the unraveled scroll stick to Sokka's face and he was blinded. He lost all control of the ship and they started heading straight for the biggest rock in the river. Bato stood up and tried to regain the ship by steering but the currents were too much for him to navigate through. They were in trouble.

Aang looked at Katara who was struggling with the main sail. The look on her face made a pit in his stomach. This was all his fault. They were all speeding towards their death and it would be because of him. Then, a feeling of power and knowledge poured over him.

Katara glanced at Aang. His tattoos and eyes were glowing at bright white and he was moving in a stiff and strong way. The next thing Katara knew, the rock they were just about to crash into was broken in half and pushed apart. Once they were safely passed that, Aang moved gracefully and made a huge wave that rode them safely over the rocks.

After they were out of danger, Aang's tattoos and eyes stopped glowing and he collapsed onto the deck of the ship. Katara rushed over to him as Bato steered them safely to shore. He didn't think that could've gone any worse.

Aang was coming around and rubbed his head where it hit on the deck. He hated going into the Avatar state. Katara helped him off the ship as Bato helped Sokka peel the scroll off his face. They were all safely on the beach but three of them knew the real danger was just beginning.

"Aang, you ruined the whole thing!" Sokka yelled as he tried to examine the scroll. Aang moved forward to take it back but Sokka already saw what it was. It was the map to his father. "You had this all along and didn't show us!" Sokka charged at Aang but Bato took the young warrior by the shoulders and held him back. "Let me go Bato, he betrayed all of us."

"No he didn't," Bato said quietly. Sokka looked around at all of them. None of them looked shocked, only guilty. "You all knew?" he asked, his shoulders slumping, "And you didn't tell me?" his anger was back and he was fighting against Bato.

"We did it for the good of the group," Katara said gently standing next to Aang. She took his hand for some sort of support. She knew Aang was timid and unwilling to face many compromising issues but she needed his help right now.

"You have got to be kidding me," Sokka said pointing his finger at Katara, "You only kept it a secret because you rather be around Aang than your own family!" he broke free from Bato and instead of charging at the two, he walked up to them calmly, "That's fine. Because now, you two are on your own. I'm going with Bato and I'm going to fight with Dad and the rest of the warriors."

Sokka turned around and started to walk away, "Sokka don't do this!" Katara ran forward to Sokka but he whipped around and took Katara roughly around the arms.

"You aren't a part of this family anymore," He said. "You aren't welcome anymore, you don't even know how to be loyal," He let her go and she stumbled back. Aang ran up and caught her but as soon as he let her go, he moved forward to tower over Sokka.

"Just because you're mad doesn't give you a reason to hurt her like that," Aang growled through clenched teeth. Sokka stared back at the airbender but broke his gaze to walk away. Aang watched as Bato followed behind the young non bender. He had officially ruined Katara's family.

…

Zuko was getting tired of riding the nasty beast all night. It smelled and the saddle was a pain in his backside. He wished he could ride his ship on land. It was much more comfortable and didn't stink like this. "Are we getting close?"

"I think so," June answered from the front of the Shirshu, "He's getting antsy so we must be getting closer." Zuko sighed in relief. He wanted to be over with all this and he was ready to go home.

It didn't take ten more minutes before they crashed into an abbey. Zuko was confused as to why the Avatar would be here with a bunch of nuns making perfume. But he didn't complain as long as it got them the Avatar. The nuns scattered to avoid the wild animal crashing through the abbey. "He's not here anymore but he must be close."

"Then let's go."

Sokka and Bato looked behind a corner as the Shirshu took off in another direction. They knew they didn't have long. They had to find Aang. Bato ran to one of the nuns, "Give me some perfume."

…..

Katara and Aang were loading Appa up. They were waiting as long as possible for Sokka to change his mind but it had been hours and Sokka never showed up. They had to accept that as they packed up the rest of their belongings.

"I'm ashamed to be related to him," Katara said yet again as she put her sleeping bag on Appa's saddle. She sighed as she walked down his tail to Aang who was feeding Appa some fruit. "He is such an idiot."

"I know," Aang said patiently. Katara had been babbling to herself all day and Aang was just nodding and agreeing. He figured he would do less damage that way and keep her happy. "At least he didn't try to kill one of us."

Katara paused in front of him, "And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Aang's eyes went wide. He knew he shouldn't have said more than two words at one time. Now he's gone and upset her! He moved in front of her and wrapped his arms around her and she sighed into his chest. "I'm still mad."

"I know," He grinned rubbing her back.

"Isn't this sweet?" a sinister voice mocked. Aang and Katara broke apart and there behind them stood Zuko with a Shirshu carrying two people. He stalked closer to Aang and Katara. "I finally have you and now there's no way out."

"So this is your girlfriend, Zuko?" The lady on the Shirshu asked. She had a taunting voice that really sent Katara over the edge. Did she really just call her Scar Face's girlfriend? "No wonder she left, she's way to pretty for you," She laughed at the fuming Prince.

"I told you to shut up!" Zuko yelled back. "Now Avatar, you are mine, and you are coming back with us whether you like it or not," Zuko lit a fire with his hands and prepared for a fight with the monk. Aang sighed in annoyance and took his airbending stance. He really couldn't stand this guy.

Zuko made the first move and fired a shot at Aang. After fighting Zhao, this guy was really weak to Aang. His fighting wasn't as arrogant or aggressive. Aang thought he could handle him well enough. He brought up a wall of air and extinguished the fire before it could reach him. He sprinted up to Zuko and right before he hit him, he dove and knocked his legs out from underneath him.

Zuko grunted as he hit the sand. He was really getting tired of the Avatar pulling stupid moves like that against him. He jumped up and firebended at the airbender. Aang pulled up a wall of water and stopped the fire. Then he used the same water to whip it at Zuko's head.

The whip left a red mark on Zuko's nearly bald head. He groaned and ran for the teenager. He had fire daggers protruding from his fists and he was going to try for close combat. Aang smiled; he and Sokka had really been working on this. As Zuko got close, he took a swing which Aang easily dodged. Zuko was off balance from the miss and Aang took advantage of it by kicking him in the stomach.

Zuko fell to the ground and the necklace around his wrist fell on the ground. Aang's eyes went wide. That was Katara's necklace! Aang lurched forward but came into contact with Zuko's foot. He was thrown back and landed in the sand. He grunted as he fell and gasped as he saw Zuko running towards him with fire encasing his hands. Aang rolled out the way and went straight for the necklace. He smiled as he picked it up. Now all he had to do was fight of Zuko and that battle would be over.

While Zuko and Aang were fighting, Katara was fighting next to Appa to defeat the Shirshu and its rider. Somehow, Iroh had gotten off the beast and was missing. But no one but Katara noticed. And it made her very paranoid.

She was using water whips to try and knock off the rider but she was unsuccessful. The rider wasn't going anywhere.

Appa was fighting head to head with the Shirshu and was holding his ground. He was avoiding the beast's tongue very well. Appa's instincts told him not to get near its long tongue. And with good reason too because one lash of the tongue would paralyze any human. Appa charged and hit the animal head on, sending it flying back. Somehow the lady managed to stay on but she was getting tired. Katara could tell that much.

Bato stood at the tree line with Sokka. "Stay here, this is going to get nasty," Bato told him. Bato's real reasons weren't so honorable though. He didn't want Sokka's anger towards his sister and Aang make him do something stupid.

Bato ran up stealthily to the ship. The Shirshu was on the other side of the ship fighting with Katara and the flying bison. Bato knew that Shirshus 'saw' with their noses and if something could throw of their scent, then they couldn't 'see.' He held the two bottles of perfume in his hand. He needed the perfect moment to throw them at the animal.

And his perfect moment came. The bison rammed him and the animal went flying backwards. Bato stepped forward as the animal thrashed around. He was disorientated already so this had to work well. He took a moment to aim, then threw the bottle at the animal.

As soon as the breakable bottle hit the animal's nose, it burst open and sent perfume everywhere. The animal went crazy trying to get up and finally managed to leap up. The rider went flying forward but what made it even worse for her was that her pet's tongue was also in the same place she was flying. She was struck and went flying to the ground. Iroh ran out from nowhere and caught June just before she hit the ground and pretended to be paralyzed too.

Aang was still fighting Zuko but he was getting angry now and that gave him an edge on Aang. He was dodging fire like crazy and trying to stay unharmed. Just as Zuko sent another shot, Aang ducked and something stuck Zuko. Zuko fell to the ground unable to move. The stupid Shirshu was attacking whatever it could touch!

Aang stood up and saw Katara was still standing and Appa had used his hard forehead to bang the Shirshu hard enough to knock it out. Aang sighed in relief and ran to Katara. "We have to go before their paralysis wears off!"

"I'm leaving too kids," Bato said giving Katara a quick hug, "Sokka is somewhere around here, don't leave him behind. Good luck." Bato patted Aang on the back and jogged off out of sight. No one wanted to be here when Zuko took his revenge.

"Sokka is here?" Katara asked looking around. There was no sign of Sokka anywhere. Aang shrugged as he too looked for her brother.

"Down here," a voice called. Aang look on the ground a few feet behind him. And there was Sokka paralyzed on the ground. The one time he wanted to help and he gets paralyzed momentarily for it.

As the Avatar and his friends got on the bison and left, Zuko searched around as best as he could for his uncle and June. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw June laying paralyzed, partially on Iroh's chest. And there lay the perfectly fine Iroh with the biggest grin on his face. Zuko groaned and redirected his eyes. He needed to pull out his eyes now.

…

"That was too close," Aang sighed as they rode on Appa. They were on their way to the North Pole again. Sokka wasn't saying much and he still hadn't apologized for early. Aang doubted he would ever apologize.

"I agree," Katara leaned against the saddle completely worn out. It had been a long day for the group and Katara had her mind set on a nap and then after that, a long nights sleep. She knew better than to expect any kind of apology from Sokka so she knew she wouldn't miss anything by sleeping.

"I feel bad that I kept you two from seeing your dad, I wish I could give you something to remind you of home," Aang frowned. But inwardly, he was grinning his head off. "You know just a little something."

Katara looked at Aang and smiled gently, "There's no reason to feel bad, it's not your fault Aang." Katara had to admit she did wish she could see her dad but she knew sometimes, fate had other plans.

"I know but I wish I could do something to make you feel better," he pulled the necklace subtly out of his pocket, "Like maybe this!" And then, he dangled the necklace in front of Katara's face.

Her eyes bulged and her jaw went slack. "My mother's necklace!" she took the small necklace without hesitation and replaced Aang's necklace with her mother's. Aang smiled as he saw her face light up. "How did you find it?"

"I stole it back from Zuko," Aang said nonchalantly with a shrug. He grinned as Katara moved his necklace to wrap around her wrist. It made him feel even better. "No big deal," He told her.

"Well I think that deserves a kiss," She smiled and pecked Aang's lips. He tried to ignore Sokka's comments about 'oogies' and how it wasn't fair for them to make out when he couldn't look away.

Aang smiled against her lips. It was good to be back with his family.

**Eh, I guess I'm just glad it's done. So thank you for reading and please review! It really gives me some great ideas and it inspires some crazy stuff for this story. You can go like my facebook page (guitar-goddess16) for upcoming story ideas, sneak peeks and other great story suggestions. Thank y'all!**


	14. The Deserter

**School is about to start and I have the busiest year ahead of me, so updates will probably be once a week on Friday nights or Saturday. Yeah, I hate it too, but being in high school **_**and**_** college is going to be really stressful. So if I don't update often, it's not because I'm giving up on the story. I'm just terribly busy. Anyway, I would really like to reach 200 hundred reviews…soon? Does anyone else read Ellen Hopkins' books? Because she's coming out with a new one! Ahhhh! here's the next chapter!**

"Can't your flying bison get a lesson in stamina?" Sokka complained. This was the second time in the past two days that they had to stop and walk for Appa to get rested up again. Aang and Katara were a little more understanding towards the bison than Sokka was. They also weren't as lazy as Sokka.

"Can't you stop complaining?" Katara retorted. She and Aang were walking side by side on a worn down trail with Sokka and Appa following. Momo was flying around eating bugs. Things were back to normal. Aang and Katara were still acting awkward around each other and having Sokka's watchful eye on them helped nothing.

"No," Sokka grunted watching his sister take Aang's hand. He felt like he was about to get sick. He was sure he was about to give up on keeping an eye on them and walk ahead of them to save his eyes the torture. He was really regretting coming on this trip.

Katara narrowed her eyes but refused to look back at him. He still hadn't apologized for his rash behavior or for treating her the way he did. She didn't expect anything else of him but a simple 'sorry' would be much better than what she was getting at the moment.

Aang looked down at Katara and smiled. She couldn't help but smile back. Aang had defended her during Sokka's outburst and put himself between them. Just the memory made her happy in a weird way. Aang was already being the best boyfriend ever. Katara glanced back at Sokka. She had been really disappointed with him. She never thought he would go so low to act the way he did. But she threw the blame on the war. That cleared her conscience knowing Sokka would never act like that if the war hadn't taken their dad away. He was doing what he did because of it.

"There's a map, a town must be near," Katara walked towards the map with Aang following. Appa and Sokka eventually made their way up to them, both too exhausted to move any faster. The map was placed on a large stand. It held other posters and information for travelers. "And there's a festival taking place tonight!"

Aang smiled, "A festival? We have to go!" He bounced up and down like a child. There trip was stressful and demanding and he didn't see the harm in relaxing. He also didn't see the harm in rubbing in every guy's face that Katara was going out with him every time one of them looked at Katara.

"It's a fire nation festival," Sokka reasoned. He walked around the small stand and peeled off a poster, "And look at this." He held up a poster with Aang on the left side holding his staff. To the right of his picture, there was a description of him and his powers. He gulped. "You're wanted by the fire nation and you want to walk straight into a fire festival. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with that?"

Aang took the poster out of Sokka's hands to examine it better. The description made him sound like the most powerful person on earth. He paused; he was the Avatar…He smiled and rolled up the poster and stuck it in his pocket. "It's called a disguise, Sokka," Aang grinned mischievously. "Besides, this may be my only chance to see some firebending up close without being nearly killed," He lifted up his shirt to point as his new scar on his side.

Katara frowned looking at his scar. It still looked pretty bad but was healing well. The red contrasted greatly with his pale skin. "I agree, Aang does need to learn firebending and I rather him be observing it safely." Aang nodded and put his shirt back down. "This could be a really good opportunity for him to actually learn something."

"You two are just going to gang up on me now, aren't you?" Sokka asked bowing his head down in frustration. He knew he shouldn't have told Aang it was okay to date his sister. This was causing him so much agony. They both looked at each other and grinned and nodded at Sokka. "Just get into your disguises."

Aang jumped into the air, "Yes!" Katara watched as Aang dug around his bag on Appa to find something. She rolled her eyes at his excitement and sorted through her own bag pulling out a black throw over hoodie. It didn't have sleeves; it just fell over her shoulders and down her arms. She pulled her hood up as Sokka pulled the hood up on his dramatically. "Look, it's like I'm a whole new person!" Aang jumped off Appa with a childish laugh and Katara couldn't hold back a laugh. All he did was pull his shirt up over his head to cover his tattoo since he found nothing in his bag. He had to hunch his back so it would cover all of him. In other words, he looked ridiculous.

"Yeah, you're a genius, now can we go?" Sokka asked impatiently. Aang wobbled over next to Katara as they walked and she couldn't help but giggle again. She was surrounded by kids. Little did she know someone behind them was thinking the same thing while vanishing behind another tree.

…..

"This place is full of people," Sokka observed from under his hood. The fire nation had colonies all over the earth kingdom but none of them figured they were this populated. Men, women and children were walking around the small town eating and playing games. Sokka grimaced at all the fire nation people.

"That's good for us," Katara said pulling her hood down lower. "We'll stay hidden better that way," She unknowingly fingered her mother's necklace that once again hung around her neck. It was an old habit she had and one she was grateful to pick back up. She felt empty before without her only possession left from her mom.

Aang looked at all the people around them in red clothes. They all wore decorative masks. If they wanted to blend in, they needed one of them. "We need some masks," Aang said voicing his thoughts. He would much rather wear one of those than hunch over to make his shirt stay on his head.

"Where would we find one of those?" Sokka asked with a whine. "It's not like they're going to magically appear!" Sokka crossed his arms and looked away from Aang. He still wasn't happy with him and any chance he had, he tried to shoot down his ideas or suggestions.

"Right there," Aang pointed to a stand they were giving out masks for free. Sokka groaned and reluctantly followed the over to the booth with the free masks. Katara took the liberty of picking out each mask for them. Aang got a red one that had a huge smile painted on it. She got a mask that looked like a lady's face with tons of makeup and Sokka got a blue mask that had a frown painted on it. Aang laughed at how well Sokka's mask fit his personality.

"I'm going to find something to eat," He grumbled and walked around the small town. Katara and Aang shrugged and followed a few feet behind him. Splitting up never benefited them. Katara slipped her hand into Aang's and tried to take everything in. She had never been to anything like this. The only celebration she ever attended was the occasion birthday when they made a slightly bigger dinner and called it a feast.

All the colors and smells were intoxicating. Everyone was walking around with food and kids carried wooden toys around, probably from a carving booth. Not a single person here, besides Sokka, seemed to be in a sour mood. Katara could feel the excitement and delight rolling off in waves from the people. She loved the festival!

"Can I interest you in some fire flakes?" A vendor asked. Sokka paused in his tracks. He had been trying to decide which food to try first and fire flakes sounded appetizing. He hurried over and took the bag of fire flakes from the vendor. He shoved them all in his mouth at the same time and began to chew.

"Ah!" Sokka spit them all out and began to pant and sweat. "Those are hot!" Sokka stuck his burning tongue out of his mouth and tried to cool his mouth off. They were good until they burned his whole mouth!

"Who would've thought fire flakes would be hot?" Katara asked sarcastically. "Come on Aang; let's go watch the puppet show." Katara pulled Aang by the hand away from Sokka towards the puppet show. It was aimed to entertain kids but Katara was that desperate to get away from Sokka. But Aang didn't complain about any of it. He was glad they were at least talking, in a way.

Aang watched the show, completely engrossed in it. There was a puppet dressed as the Fire Lord and there were three smaller ones dressed as Earth Kingdom soldiers. Aang was too far away to hear what was going on but he could see the puppet 'bend' fire and burn the soldiers to a crisp. Aang flinched. Wasn't this supposed to be for children?  
"Maybe we shouldn't watch this anymore," Katara said reading Aang's mind as some kids in the front row cheered. Katara's stomach did flips. They were raising their kids to be perfectly okay with violence. The thought sickened her.

"Sounds like a great idea to me, come on," Aang walked them over to the stage in front of a building. Sokka joined them since he had nothing else to do and the rest of the food was too hot to eat. There was something going on in front of them on the stage but only Aang was tall enough to see over everyone's heads. There was one firebender warming up and doing some simple moves. "There's a firebender up there!"

"And let me guess," Sokka began in his usual sarcastic tone, "He's firebending." Aang nodded his head and stood on his toes. The guy on stage was starting to do some more advanced moves. "And you want to get a closer look," Sokka sighed, "Do you know how dangerous that could be?"

"Yes," Aang said navigating through the crowd, "That's why you two can stay here." Katara frowned and followed him anyway. She wasn't going to let him get that close to a firebender alone. Sokka groaned and followed the couple. He was not going to be in enemy territory alone.

Aang pushed through the crowd until he was in the front of it staring at the firebender on the slightly raised stage. He was dressed in bright vivid colors and doing some fancy moves. Aang's smile widen in admiration. He wished he could do something like that!

"For my next demonstration," The man stood up straight after his last move, "I need a volunteer!" Everyone in the crowd starting jumping up with their hands in the air and Aang was one of them. He needed to see his firebending up close. "Who shall I pick?" Some random girl in the back screamed and Aang groaned. He was the Avatar for spirit's sakes and he needed to get up there.

And of course, he picked one of the two people who were standing completely still. "How about you young lady?" The man held out his hand to Katara. She unconsciously took a step back and bumped into Aang. She didn't like firebenders after what happened to her mother. They were all the enemy to her. "Don't be shy," The man smiled.

Aang nudged her gently, "Go ahead, I'll watch out for you." Katara glanced back at Aang. Her face was covered by her mask just like Aang's was but she was sure Aang knew of the fear that vacated her face. "I promise." She nodded and took the man's extended man and pulled herself up onto the stage.

Her skin was breaking out in a cold sweat and her hands were shaking. The man didn't look menacing, he could even be considered handsome, but Katara knew not to trust firebenders. They were the cause of all the destruction and death in the world. And that thought would not leave her head as the performer spoke to the crowd while sitting her in a chair and tying her to it. "This one is called 'Taming the Dragon'," He said as he made a large serpent shaped dragon. He had a fire rope around the dragon made of fire and was trying to 'control' it. Everyone was staring in awe except for the Avatar and his friend. "It's too powerful, I'm losing control!"

As he spoke, the dragon started moving towards Katara. Aang moved to go save her but Sokka held his arm, "He's doing a trick, there's confetti in his other hand. He's going to put out the fire and make the confetti go everywhere." Aang looked at the man's other hand and he saw Sokka was right. The man's left hand was indeed full of the color stuff.

"Oh no!" The man screamed. Katara's eye went wide and a scream stuck in her throat. She thought Aang was going to protect her! Katara closed her eyes as the fire dragon drew closer. She prepared herself for being burned. But it never came. She heard a small explosion and opened her eyes. Confetti was everywhere!

The crowd cheered as the man untied Katara. She was frozen in the chair. She really thought she was going to be burned to a crisp. She was terrified still. "Give this young lady a round of applause!" the crowd clapped even louder as Katara sat frozen in her seat. The hooded man that had been following them for the past two days stepped out from the shadows and readied the bomb in his hand.

As he prepared to throw it, Aang caught the movement out from the corner of his eye. The man was throwing a bomb at the stage! Just as the bomb was heading to the stage, Aang used airbending to blow the crowd back and the man off the stage. He was running for the petrified Katara. The bomb was inches away from the stage as Aang dove and pushed Katara out of her seat. He made a current behind them to send them even further. And then, the bomb exploded.

Aang screamed and made a sphere of air around them as the fire started to reach them. Aang landed on top of Katara and both their masks were now on fire and on the ground. The paint must've been flammable because neither of their clothes was on fire. He pulled himself up and tried to help Katara up. Smoke was billowing everywhere and fire surrounded them. Katara was coughing and Aang tried to bend clean air to them, "We have to find Sokka and get out of here." He took his bison whistle out of his pocket and prayed it worked. He blew in it and it didn't make a sound. "Come on."

Katara and Aang made their way through the ruined festival trying to find Sokka. Aang blew some smoke out of their way and pulled Katara forward. Men were dragging their wives and children away from the fires as more bombs exploded. Aang shield Katara with his body and airbending as debris flew around them. He gritted his teeth as they moved along on their desperate search for Sokka. "We have to find him fast or we'll all be dead," Katara said following Aang through the chaos.

"Aang!" Sokka shouted. He was pushing through the crowd that was going the opposite way he was. Aang ran over and grabbed the water tribe boy's arm. He gave him a tug and pulled him free of the stampede. "What's going on?"

"Someone's attacking the village," Aang said as they ran away from the explosions. Smoke engulfed the entire village. They would normally fight but they couldn't see a foot ahead of them. "I saw a guy by the stage earlier throw the bomb." He airbended the smoke out of their path and they tried to navigate the unfamiliar village.

"Ah!" Katara screamed. Aang and Sokka looked back and saw nothing but smoke. Someone had taken Katara right from behind them.

"Katara!" Aang screamed. He bended more smoke out of the way and tried to follow her screams. Sokka took out his boomerang, ready to destroy whoever took his sister. Aang heard her scream his name and he pushed towards the sound. Sokka followed behind him unable to keep up with the fast airbender.

Aang heard a grunt and turned around. Sokka was no longer there. "Sokka!" But no answer came back. Katara's screams had stopped. He bended as much smoke away from him and tried to get even a glimpse of them. The only sounds he heard were small explosions and fire crackling. He yelled in rage and ran in what he hoped was the right direction.

"Roar," Aang looked up and saw Appa hovering over him. At least he knew the bison whistle worked. Just as he was about to jump onto Appa and chase down the kidnappers, he felt a club strike down on the back of his head. Everything went black.

…..

Admiral Zhao stood outside of the destroyed village. His men gave him the report of what had occurred. All that was certain were the village was destroyed and the Avatar saved many people from death. Zhao growled. He didn't want anyone in the fire nation in dept to the Avatar. That always led to changes in alliances. And people traitor to the great nation were better off dead.

"Admiral," A soldier gave him the traditional fire nation bow. Admiral nodded at the man as a sign to continue, "Witnesses say that they saw the Avatar on a flying bison heading north up the river."

Zhao nodded. He knew that wasn't of Zuko's doing. It was much too well planned out and executed. If this was Zuko's doing, he would've failed. No, this was someone with at least half a brain. They could be considered a threat. "Ready our ships," Zhao ordered. He was going to get the Avatar and do more than scar him this time.

…

Aang was coming around slowly. Spots danced behind his eyes and he tried to sit up. "Don't move too fast," A soft voice spoke from his side. He opened his eyes and saw Katara sitting next to him. He was laying on a small cot on his stomach. His head hurt horribly and his body ached. His shirt was off and he noticed some new bandages. "What happened?"

"You got some cuts trying to protect me," She said quietly and applied one last bandage on his back. She felt terrible everything happened to Aang. He was normally such a peaceful person and when he got in fights, he would win but end up injured. It hurt her even worse he did this to himself to protect her because of her fear of firebenders. She was determined she was going to get over it.

"I knew that," He said sitting up. He had felt debris hit him even after he put the wall of air up. He knew that would happen. "I meant, where are we and why are we here?" He was now in a sitting position rubbing his head. His head was clearing up and he was able to see straight.

"It's a long story, or so I am told," She stood up and handed him his shirt. "I sewed your shirt up, you had some rips." She waited for him to put his shirt on. He refused help but didn't struggle much. "We should go for a walk. It'll make your muscles feel better if you move them around."

Aang nodded. If a walk would ease the stiffness and soreness in his muscles, he would gladly take it. Katara helped him out of bed and put her arm around his waist to steady him. His knees were a little wobbly but he quickly regained his balance. He could stand up straight after a few minutes and he was sure he could walk now. "Okay, I'm good, just sore," He put his arm around Katara's shoulder and they walked out of the small tent, "Where is Sokka?"

"He's helping the guy who saved us make some more bombs," Katara stated as they walked into the bright sunlight. Aang squinted his eyes and waited for them to adjust. "I guess I should tell you the whole story, or what I know."

Aang nodded. He looked around the surrounding area. There was a small creek that came to an end in the middle of the camp and there was a small patch of earth in the middle of it. A dense forest surrounded the camp and tents and small wooden buildings were spread out. "Sounds good to me."

Katara sighed and walked Aang down the river's edge. Being around water calmed her now that she was advances in waterbending. She tightened her arms around Aang's waist slightly, "The guy who threw the bomb at the stage was a guy who worked for Jeong Jeong who is the first high ranked officer to leave the fire nation army and live. These people around here are actually friends and they used the destruction of the town as bait for the fire nation fleet they saw not too far from it. I don't know why they are luring them here though." Aang was slowing down and eventually stopped walking. These people couldn't be friends, they almost killed them! "And there's more," Katara continued, "Jeong Jeong said he was visited by Avatar Roku's spirit and he's working under his guidance. He's going to teach you firebending. It was all a part of Roku's plan."

Aang took in a deep breath to process all of this. This Jeong Jeong guy sounded like a nut case and Aang was hesitant to believe what he was hearing. These people did attack them after all. "You believe them?"

Katara shrugged, "We don't have much of a choice. You need to learn firebending." Aang sighed. That much was true. And here came a firebender on a silver platter for him. He would be an idiot to turn the man down. "If something goes wrong, I'm sure we can fight our way out. They just caught us by surprise last time."

Aang nodded. "Katara," His mind was running through all the events from yesterday and he came upon one he was ashamed of. "I'm sorry I left you on that stage and didn't try to help, but Sokka said there was just confetti but I didn't believe him at first…and you were scared…"

Katara cut him off with a gentle hug. She didn't want to hurt him from all the small cuts on his back. "It's okay," She muttered into his chest. Aang rested his chin on top of her head. He still felt terrible about it.

"I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you," He whispered.

"And nothing did," she reminded him, "And you did save me from that bomb on the stage along with all the spectators." Aang smiled. She was definitely an optimist of the highest level. He didn't think it was physically possible for her to see the bad side of a situation. "We're only teenagers, Aang," she reminded him, "We're all giving it our best. You just have a problem seeing that."

"I hate to break up your groping and lovey-dovey stuff," Sokka said covering his eyes and slowly stumbling over to them. He saw them hugging and that was enough for him. "But Aang is needed by Jeong Jeong. So stop being greedy and share," He told Katara.

Katara moved out of Aang's embrace and kissed him on the cheek, "We'll wait out here for you." Aang nodded and walked to the wooden shelter Sokka said belonged to the firebender.

"Who said anything about 'we'?" Aang heard Sokka ask as he walked into the house. The room was barely lit up and a man sat surrounded by candles. With every exhale, the flames would get larger and smaller when he would inhale. Aang could tell he was in deep concentration.

"Avatar Aang," The man took in one last deep breath and stood up. He was a little shorter than Aang but his bushy white hair gave him a few inches. He had to vertical scars over his right eye and dark skin with a goatee and mustache. In other words, he was intimating.

"Jeong Jeong?" Aang asked hesitantly. The man nodded and Aang stood awkwardly for a few moments. This was the man who sent his followers to kidnap him and destroy a whole town and they were just standing here. Aang gulped nervously.

"We will start your training now," Jeong Jeong walked passed Aang out the door. "Are you going to follow are not?" He demanded. Aang nodded, then saluted, unsure of how to address him, but he followed him out anyway. The man was definitely scary.

He led Aang to the small island of earth in the middle of the stream and stood him there by himself. "Take a stance," He ordered. Aang obeyed quickly and got into the stance he saw many firebenders in. "Wider," He yelled. Aang moved his legs further apart. "Now concentrate on the sun."

"How do I do that?"

"Silence! I said to concentrate," Jeong Jeong ordered. He pointed at Sokka who was sharpening his boomerang, "Even that idiot knows how to concentrate on what he's doing!" Sokka glanced up and tried to say something but Katara kicked him. "So concentrate!" And with that he left. Aang decided he just wasn't one for words.

Aang stood in the uncomfortable stance and closed his eyes. He tried to focus on the sun and the heat on his back. But his muscles were still sore and all he could think about was getting something to eat or drink. And then of course Katara had to be watching him. That just killed his concentration. She didn't even try to be beautiful and distracting. She just was. And all of these things were killing Aang. He could barely think about the sun above him.

Katara sat and watched as Aang stood in his firebending stance and concentrated. He looked like he was meditating but he seemed to uncomfortable and his face didn't look peaceful. There was no breeze today and it was really warm. Katara had gotten so used to the frozen tundra of the South Pole that anything above freezing made her sweat. She long ago got rid of her parka, just like Sokka, and was now in blue dress that came down to her calves and wore blue leggings under it. She still wore a thin long sleeve undershirt but she knew that she wouldn't be once spring was in full force. She didn't know how Aang could wear one outfit and be comfortable under all weather conditions.

Katara didn't realize she was staring at Aang for a good while until he opened one of his eyes and peeked over at her. He gave her a quick smile but he quickly frowned and stuck his tongue out. She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a small smile as if to ask 'what do you want me to do about your boredom?' His shoulders slumped for a moment but he got back in position and closed his eyes again. Katara sighed. She could watch him all day…

But after about two hours, she found out that staring at Aang had become dreadfully boring. She ended up laying on her back and staring at the sky. It was a couple hours past noon judging by the sun's position. Katara groaned quietly. There was nothing to do.

Aang had the same problem as Katara. He was bored out of his mind. He needed to go for a run or do some sort of bending. His muscles were becoming even sorer and he felt like he needed to take a dip in a hot spring. "I see you're still focusing," a rough voice said from in front of him. Aang nodded but didn't open his eyes. "That's good," Jeong Jeong mused. "Open your eyes, Avatar."

Aang did as he was told and in front of him was Jeong Jeong standing with a leaf in his hand. Aang decided not to question what was going on. He didn't want to do more breathing and concentrating. "Now that you know how to concentrate, you need to learn restraint," Jeong Jeong told Aang, "I once had a student who wanted nothing but power. He did not want to learn to restrain himself. And it will only lead to his own destruction. Fire is dangerous and even more so with an unmanageable temper."  
"I understand," Aang said quietly nodding his head. He would say anything right now to move on to the next lesson.

"Good, then do not let the fire burn through this leaf," Jeong Jeong lit the green leaf on fire and handed it to Aang. He could feel the fire in it and was able to concentrate hard enough to keep it from burning. "Keep it like that for an hour and we will make fire."

Aang was about to say something but he was afraid to break his concentration and burn the leaf. Then he would be back at standing in the sun for hours for no reason and he didn't want that.

Katara decided to watch Aang again since he was doing something different now. Him becoming a firebender scared her. A firebender took her mother's life and destroyed her family and village. She knew Aang better than to say he would become like that but she subconsciously couldn't help but feel a little terrified. Sokka stood up, "I'll be back. I need to go for a walk or something. I'm going crazy doing nothing here." Katara nodded and watched as her brother walked into the woods.

Before Aang knew it, the hour had passed and his leaf was still intact. He smiled as Jeong Jeong instructed him to open his eyes and prepare himself for the next lesson. Aang was ready to make fire. He wanted to become a firebender so bad that he was shaking with anticipation. That would mean he would be that much closer to mastering the elements and defeating the fire lord! "I'm ready," Aang told him.

"Good," Jeong Jeong said. He paused and held out his hand palm out. Aang raised his eyebrow. Surely this man did not want him to hold his hand. "Now to make fire, you have to feel it inside you. Unlike common belief, fire does not come from anger or emotion but from the breath and concentration." He demonstrated by breathing in deeply and making a small flame appear.

Aang took in a deep breath and concentrated. He could feel the heat from the sun and from his own body. He took in another breath and as soon as he exhaled, a small flame appeared. Aang smiled as he focused on the flame in his hand. It almost felt like it had a heartbeat. His eyes widen, "I see you can feel it. It is very much alive, Avatar, in its own way."  
"It feels like its breathing or something," Aang took in a deeper breath and let it out. He noticed the flame followed his breathing. "Wow," he breathed.

"Yes, in a fight, the flame won't respond to you so well since your focus will be split," He paused and sighed, "That's why there are so many accidents. Your friend said you've been burned." Aang used his hand that wasn't holding the flame to lift up his shirt to reveal his scar. "Then you know how painful fire can be."

"Well, yeah, it hurt," Aang said in a little disbelief. Was this guy really questioning if it got hurt to be burned? He must've been crazy. He did have that weird look in his eye…

"Then you should be good at restraint," Jeong Jeong said simply. Aang shrugged his shoulders and held his flame still in his hand. He saw Katara from the corner of his eye. She was sitting up with her knees bent up into her chest. She looked bored. "Now, make your flame bigger," Jeong Jeong instructed.

Aang did as he was told and made his flame bigger. He could feel it respond with his breathing even more. But it felt dangerous. Something about the flame enticed him but he felt a tug in his gut that felt like a warning. He knew what he was doing was dangerous. Waterbending and airbending didn't feel this way.

"Bigger," Jeong Jeong told him. Aang reluctantly obeyed and made his flame bigger. It was now bigger than his head and he had to use both hands to hold the fire. He was breaking out in a slight sweat from the heat and his vision was blurring slightly. Making this flame was taking a lot out of him. "Now make it as big as you can."

Aang was getting a piercing headache and he tried to make the flame bigger. He was having trouble holding it back and sweat was rolling down his face. His muscle aches became more prominent and his vision was going dark. He wasn't going to be able to restrict the flame much longer. "No," Aang whispered as the flame blew up around him. Jeong Jeong firebended the fire away from him. But one waterbender was taken off guard.

"Ah!" she yelled putting her hands in front of her face while trying to back up. Her hands burned and she fell back. Jeong Jeong stood five feet away from her and watched her cry out in agony. Both of her hands took the burn but not the rest of her.

Aang fell down after the fire took the best of him and he was struggling to his feet. His body felt as though it was on fire and his head ached. He looked up and saw Jeong Jeong standing a few feet away from Katara. She was lying on the ground and her hands out in front of her. They were burned. Aang burned Katara.

"Aang!" Sokka tackled Aang to the ground. He pinned him down easily seeing as Aang made no effort to fight back. "I knew we shouldn't have stayed here and you should've known better than this! Now my sister is hurt and it's all your fault!" He threw his fist towards Aang and it met him in the eye. Aang laid on the ground unmoving, letting Sokka punch him once again in the face, "Fight back, dammit! Isn't that what you want?!"

Katara sat up and looked up at Jeong Jeong. His brown eyes were cold and trained on her. She let a broken sob escape from her lips and she jumped up and ran. She didn't know where she was running to. She just knew she had to get away. This must've been what her mother felt before she died. Only a million times worse. She cried more at the thought.

She didn't know how long she ran for. It couldn't have been long. She was in so much pain that she didn't want to go any further and risk getting lost. She would be in deep trouble then. She knelt down on the river bank and stared at the water. It was calling to her and she couldn't figure out if it was real or if she hallucinating from the pain.

But she eventually gave into the calling and sank her burned hands into the cool water. She sighed at the feeling of the cool water but then something else happened. Her hands glowed a light white, not as bright as Aang's tattoos while in the Avatar state. No, this light was softer, warmer. And as she lifted her hands up to examine them, she noticed her burns were gone. She was healed!

"You are a healer," Jeong Jeong said from behind her. "Avatar Roku said that you carried the trait and that it just needed to be brought out. The spirits have big plans for you, Waterbender." Katara sat in shock. She was a healer? And the spirits had plans for her? She had to be hearing wrong. "Water brings life. Fire brings destruction. That is the way it always has been. I have a curse while you experience a blessing; embrace it, Katara."

Katara nodded and stared at her hands, still in awe of her abilities, "You made Aang lose control of that fire, didn't you?" she knew Aang was hesitant and avoiding hard situations. He wasn't the kind of person to take risks. And she knew that he wouldn't do something unless he was sure he could do it.

"Yes, I was fighting him with the fire in his hands," Katara was about to interrupt in rage but Jeong Jeong spoke again, "Avatar Roku told me of his plans. He needed me to carry them out. Unfortunately, Aang learning how dangerous fire was took prime importance in his plans. He also found it very important for you to learn of your abilities. Don't question the spirits."

Katara stared at the old man. His hair was bushy and his eyes still cold. But something was different about him now. "Why are you telling me this?" Katara asked skeptically. She was normally very trusting of people but after she had just been burned because of this man, she didn't know what to think.

"Roku wants you to watch out for Aang. It's a difficult job, or so he said," Jeong Jeong looked around the river as if expecting something. "But you cannot tell Aang. Just keep him safe. Learn waterbending with him. Be his friend. You are going to be the person he leans on and looks for support from."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I, Waterbender," Jeong Jeong admitted, "But the spirits know what they're doing. I wouldn't question them. Don't tell Aang of Roku's plan. He will only be upset he wasn't told. Maybe one day the time will be right. After he has learned firebending. He knows true restraint now."

"This was all about restraint?" Katara asked with a hint of doubt. This seemed like an awfully big plan just for the Avatar to learn a small lesson. Jeong Jeong shrugged and started to walk closer to the river.

"A little restraint can go a far way. It's almost like having patience. It'll be a vital quality for the young Avatar," Jeong Jeong paused and listened for a moment, "You might want to go settle things with your friends. When you are done, send Aang down here."

Katara nodded as she watched the firebending master. He was ankle deep in the water and had his eyes closed. Katara learned not to question things so she wasn't. "Thank you for helping us."

"Do not thank me yet."

…..

Katara jogged back to where she left Aang. She remembered Sokka coming in after she was burned but she didn't know what happened. She just hoped Aang was okay. Sokka was a bit overdramatic sometimes. She jogged faster after thinking of all the horrible things Sokka would do to Aang.

As she jogged to the end of the river, she saw Aang sitting with his feet in the water and his head hung down. Sokka was nowhere in sight. "Aang," she jogged over to him and dropped down to her knees. She rested a hand on his shoulder but he never looked up. "Aang," she repeated.

"I'm sorry," He whispered still not able to look up at her. He had burned the one person he vowed to protect. "I should've told him I couldn't do it. I knew I was losing control, I'm sorry." His mind was racing with more apologizes but none of them sounded good enough to him.

"If you say you're sorry one more time, we're breaking up," She said sternly. "I'm not burned anymore." Aang almost looked up in disbelief but remember what his face looked like and looked back down. "Will you stop feeling sorry for yourself and just look at me?"

Aang stared at his reflection in the water. He was pretty banged up. But her voice was so sweet and he felt so terrible that he couldn't deny her only request. He slowly looked up and she gasped. His nose was crooked; he had a black eye and bruises forming. Blood he had missed cleaning up was caked on his face. "What happened?"

"Sokka," Aang replied shortly. He knew he had deserved it. "He's getting Appa ready so you two can leave." Aang's heart tore just saying that. His only family was leaving him because of his stupid mistake. The only people who could still love him after a hundred years were abandoning him.

"Not this again," Katara mumbled. She stuck her hands in the water and bended water to cover them, "You never asked how I was healed." Aang looked up at her through his good eye. She had a faint smile on her face and before he could ask, she continued, "I have healing abilities."

She moved her tan hands to his face and laid them over all of his injuries. She focused all of her energy into her hands and they began to glow. Aang closed his eyes in content. Being healed felt great. He sighed as he felt his eye and mouth heal. He felt his nose glide back into place and he sighed as she removed her hands. His face was back to normal. "Wow."

"Jeong Jeong wants to see you down the river. Just keep going straight and you'll find him," she told Aang as she helped him up. "We'll be on Appa waiting for you. I'll talk Sokka into it," she gave him a hug and he turned to leave, "And I'll heal the rest of you later."

"Thank you, Katara," he smiled and headed down the river. She frowned as she watched him walk away. She had to find Appa and Sokka. Things were about to get bad and she could feel it.

….

Zhao smiled his usual wicked smile. He could see the man at the shore. His unruly white hair and dark skin were unmistakable. It was the once great Jeong Jeong. It was someone he knew quite well from his past. He turned to his crew waiting on deck for his orders, "When we get to the shore, search the woods for the Avatar. I'll handle the old man."

Three other boats trailed behind him. The message would get to them too. He knew they were no match for the Avatar but they would slow him down long enough for Zhao to get there and capture him. Today would be the day Zhao finally catches him. There's no Blue Spirit or Zuko to thwart his plans after all.

Jeong Jeong stood patiently as Zhao's four ships docked on the river bank. "Why if it isn't my old master," Zhao smiled cruelly. Jeong Jeong stood in the ankle deep water waiting for his old student to make his move. He knew for a fact that Zhao couldn't wait for him to make the first strike.

Under Zhao's orders, his soldiers left the ships and disappeared into the woods in search of the Avatar. Jeong Jeong snorted at his former student's confidence. The Avatar would take him down easily. Zhao stepped off his ship and strolled over to stand in front of his old master. "Are you going to fight me old man?"

Aang watched as Jeong Jeong firebended fire into the water beneath him. It created a thick steam. Aang smiled; that had to be the smartest thing he had ever seen! He would have to do that one day…if he ever firebended again. Zhao roared in anger as the steam started to dissipate. Jeong Jeong was gone, but standing in his place was none other than the Avatar himself.

"Lambs come willingly to the slaughter now?" Zhao asked. Aang had only seen a lamb once. And he couldn't believe he was just called one. They were small, innocent and defenseless creatures. Aang chuckled at how wrong he was.

"I'm not sure you should talk down on yourself," Aang said crossing his arms behind him. He saw Zhao do this quite a few times and he hoped Zhao picked up on his mockery. Now if only Aang had some ugly sideburns… "So your Jeong Jeong's old student?"

"The one and the only," Zhao said evilly taking a firebending stance. Aang remained standing up straight with his hands behind his back. Zhao grimaced at the boy's attitude.

"He didn't speak very well of you," Aang frowned, "You must've been really awful." Zhao roared and blasted fire at the young airbender. Aang jumped to the side to avoid it and he landed on one of Zhao's ships. "You know, you should've kept your crew here. There's no 'I' in team," Aang smiled as Zhao continued to get angrier, "but there's good news! There's a 'U' in suck!"

Zhao screamed as he blasted fire at the young man again. Aang smiled as he back-flipped onto the next ship. The first ship was burning down. Why did fire nation soldiers make ships of wood? "You foolish little boy."

"Wow you really are terrible. Do they make just anyone an admiral?" Aang laughed as Zhao bended a flame wall at him. Aang jumped to the next ship and the other one caught fire. Two ships down and two to go. "I was wondering, is that actual facial hair on your face or did you?..." Aang was cut off by Zhao bending more fire at him. Zhao never left the shore but he had been doing some great damage from there. Aang was standing on the last remaining ship. Aang saved one last insult that he knew would send Zhao over the edge.

He glanced up and saw Appa hovering over the tree line. As soon as Zhao destroyed this ship, he would airbend himself up to Appa and they could all leave safely. For once, his plans might work. "I've been wondering for a while, is your daughter expecting any airbender babies? Because I would love to send my thanks…" Aang was cut off by Zhao sending a massive wave of fire at him and the ship. Aang crouched down and gathered up as much energy as possible. And at the last possible moment, he used his airbending to jump up to Appa. He crashed into Sokka on the saddle and Katara screamed, "Yip Yip."

"That was so much fun!" Aang laughed getting off of Sokka. Hopefully he didn't break any of his bones. Making fun of Zhao was more fun than the festival they went to. "You guys should've seen his face!"

Katara moved over to him and pulled out her water pouch, "Take your shirt off." Aang nodded and started to pull off his yellow and orange top. He became painfully aware of how much his muscles hurt. He was really starting to get in shape from all this fighting.

"What are you doing?" Sokka demanded. He covered his eyes and turned away. Aang laughed and Katara rolled her eyes. At least he wasn't complaining about the 'oogies'. "You can't just undress him with me up here too!"

"I'm healing him," Katara said reasonably. She mentally slapped herself when she realized she hadn't explained her powers to Sokka. Her poor brother was already pretty lost as it was….

"I don't care what you call it, I don't want to be around when you feel the need to rip your boyfriend's clothes off," Sokka said pretending to gag. He didn't understand his sister at all. Did she have no self respect at all? He coughed and tried not to gag.

"Sokka I can heal people with water, and Aang has some burns and cuts that need to be healed," She helped Aang out of his shirt and undid his day old bandages. They weren't bloodied since his wounds weren't bad but they needed to be healed so they wouldn't get infected later.

"Oh," Sokka said turning around and opening his eyes. He blushed as he realized that he was probably over reacting about them. Aang could barely hug Katara without breaking out in a blush. What was the worst that could happen?

Aang watched as Katara used her water covered hands to heal his wounds. His cuts were disappearing leaving behind no scars. When she moved to his burn from Zhao, she found she couldn't heal it. It was too old and now just a scar. She sighed as she looked at the one blemish on his body. "So, about that comment to Zhao, why are you expecting his daughter to have airbender babies?"

She laughed as he told the story of him using his family against him and how it led to his escape from the prison with the mysterious Blue Spirit. And she laughed even harder when he explained how his daughter probably has sideburns to match Zhao's. Sokka couldn't help but laugh at the young Avatar either.

Aang smiled. He was with his family again and they were all getting along. And all it took was him getting a smashed up face and Katara getting some healing powers.

This trip was turning out not to be so bad.

**Sorry about the mistakes but I really had no time to edit it. I've been busy! Anyway, go like my facebook page (guitar-goddess16) for sneak peeks to upcoming chapters and other random stuff. If you are my tenth like, I'll give you a shout out in my next chapter, but I won't mention your name for safety reasons and all that crap. You'll just have to know who you are. So review please! I've been dying to hear from you guys. Thanks for reading!**


	15. The Northern Air Temple

**My absence is inexcusable, I know. I do have a legit excuse though. Being in college and high school at the same time is very stressful and involves a lot of work I don't want to do. Anyway. This chapter…it's going to be rushed, there are going to be errors and maybe some OOC but I worked really hard to get this one out. I used up all of my free time (which was almost none) to write. And this is what came of it. So…enjoy the chapter!**

Aang sat down next to Katara around the large campfire. They were getting very far north now and nighttime was getting colder and colder. So, they had decided to stop in the middle of a small village. They had a large fire raging and the villagers were sitting around the fire telling stories. Aang and Katara were intrigued by the idea and were more than willing to sit through story after story. Sokka on the other hand was just ready to get to the North Pole and get this whole trip over with. Between his sister getting comfy with the Avatar and the long hard days of travel, the young warrior was being pushed to his breaking point. His little sister could find someone to date, got her first kiss before him and was dating the most powerful bender on earth. He was just the tag along who makes the funny jokes. He groaned and looked around for some food.

Katara, on the contrary, was quite happy. Now that she and Aang had gotten past their awkward stage of dating, she had been feeling almost happy for the first time since her mother had passed away. Aang was very carefree under most circumstances and funny. Katara couldn't forget about him being sweet and handsome on top of all that. They didn't have a very serious relationship yet but she could tell things were just starting for the two. While thinking about all this, she scooted closer to Aang on the ground as he wrapped his arm around her for warmth.

Aang, unlike his two companions, wasn't thinking about anything but the story being told. An old man was sitting on an old tree stump and telling a well rehearsed story. "And these men, they don't need land. They fly where the wind takes them. They only land to eat and sleep. And some say even that is a myth," He paused to look at everyone dramatically even though most of them could care less, "They soar and laugh at gravity since they aren't restrained to the earth we walk. They live the ultimate freedom." He went on and on about the air walkers and Aang couldn't help but smile. The old man was speaking of airbenders of course. His people's legacy was still living even though they weren't.

"Is all that true Aang?" Katara asked. She had ridden on Aang's glider before with him but something told her it wasn't the same thing. The man's story really made her jealous of airbenders, in a way. She couldn't imagine how great it must feel to be that free.

"Yeah, I laugh at gravity all the time," Aang laughed just to prove his point, "But we can't stay in the sky forever. We do have to land so we can eat and sleep and all that stuff." Aang noticed that Sokka sat down next to him. He smelled faintly of meat so Aang figured he found food somewhere.

"Stuff like kissing?" Katara asked. She had always wondered why Aang was a good kisser. She even admitted it in her delirious state not too long ago. She was really glad that he didn't use that against her. But now was her turn to try and get some answers out of him since he did _try_.

Aang smiled and leaned closer to her and dropped his voice so Sokka wouldn't hear them, "I told you that you were my first kiss." He glanced at Sokka who was picking meat out of his teeth and hopefully ignoring them. "Besides, we had nothing but guys at my temple. Unless I was like Sokka, nothing happened there." Katara grinned at Aang's reference to Sokka's escape from Jet's goons. Aang had asked him if he had a love adventure of his own, and they realized there wasn't anyone but guys around.

Sokka continued to pick his teeth free of meat. He had heard Aang's comment and was only getting annoyed. His sister and Aang really needed to find a topic to talk on that didn't involve making fun of him. He was only going to have to get revenge now.

As the old man finished his story, he went around with a hat to collect donations for his story telling. As he made it over to where Aang was sitting, he put in a copper piece he found on the ground a few miles back, "That was a great story, your grandpa must've seen them a hundred years ago."

The old man paused in front of him and raised his eyebrow, "Are you dense boy?" Aang looked at the man strangely. The old man took that as a yes, "He saw the air walkers last week at the temple!" He rubbed his chin and walked off to collect more money.

Aang jumped up and accidently knocked Katara to the ground. She coughed as dirt flew into her mouth. Sokka laughed at his sister's misfortune. "I'm so sorry!" Aang bent down to help her up, "but we have to go now. We can sleep on Appa." Sokka jogged behind Aang and Katara. That definitely made this trip a little bit funnier.

….

Katara sat in the saddle behind Aang. He had been really fidgety all morning and Katara was getting uncomfortable next to him so she moved up to the saddle. Now she had to be nearer to Sokka. She groaned inwardly at the thought.

"I can't believe that there might be more airbenders," Katara said. She was trying to talk to Aang, who was more in tune with his thoughts than his companions, but Sokka was the only was listening. Katara found that to be scary enough. "How do you think they survived?"

Sokka crossed his arms and sighed, "Do you want me to be like you or tell you the truth?" Katara's eye twitched. Since when did she lie? She was an honest person; her brother was the one who would lie out of the two of them.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Katara asked through clenched teeth. She looked at Aang who was still steering with an odd look in his eyes. It seemed as though he wasn't there at all. It was a big change from his usual presence.

"No," Sokka corrected her with an eye roll, "I'm calling you an optimist. It's the same thing pretty much." Katara crossed her arms and turned her back on her brother. He was a rude, insensitive…

"We're here," Aang broke Katara's thoughts. Katara gripped the saddle and Appa turned to a near ninety degree angle and shot up the mountain side. Katara heard Sokka squeal from the back of the saddle. If she wouldn't have been taken so off guard, she may have laughed at the girlish sound he just made.

As they were coming over the mountain top, Katara's jaw dropped. It looked like the other Air Temple, only these had green rooftops. But that wasn't what caught her attention. No, what captivated her was the sight of people flying around the temple on gliders. "Aang, they're flying!" Katara pointed to all of them, leaning over the saddle.

"They're gliding, not flying," Aang said. Katara looked down at her boyfriend. His head hung down and his voice wasn't full of its usual spirit. His shoulders slumped and he leaned against Appa. "They aren't airbenders," Aang told her. Katara looked up at the people flying again. How could he tell? "Look at the way they move," Katara's eyes followed them as they glided slowly, "They don't move with the spirit of an airbender."

Katara could finally see what he was talking about. Unlike Aang, they weren't doing crazy tricks and flying at high speeds. They were gliding with the wind. They weren't controlling it like airbenders. "Aang…."

But whatever she said was cut off by a guy her age swooping down right over them on his glider and screaming like crazy. Aang narrowed his eyes at the boy who just passed them on his glider. These non benders were taking over his people's temple and flying around like it was nothing. Aang pulled his glider from his side and flew off after the guy. He may be able to do some impressive tricks but he was going to show him how an airbender does it.

Katara watched as Aang flew under the boy then jerked up and spiraled in front of him. "Your boyfriend's a real jerk, Katara," Sokka moved up to take the reins and steer Appa. Aang was doing some complicated twists and the boy followed along never missing a beat. "I mean, that guy looks like he's only twelve years old," Sokka said shaking his head at Aang. In Sokka's tribe, Aang would be considered a man, and here he was acting like a child. Sokka was positive he was more of a man than Aang and was glad he nominated himself as leader. He can't imagine what Aang would be doing if he had no leadership. He would probably be riding hopping llamas and other strange animals.

Aang narrowed his eyes at the boy. He wasn't an airbender and he didn't belong in the air on a glider. Aang's people were gone and this kid was just flying around in their home. He looked at the wall about ten feet away. He smiled and flew parallel to it. As he started to close in, he threw he glider and walked across the vertical wall. He laughed and jumped back to his still sailing glider.

The boy in the glider looked at Aang in amazement, "I can't do that but watch this!" Aang groaned as he landed next to Appa and watched the kid do his trick. There was no point fighting this guy. Aang did have an unfair advantage… Katara and Sokka got off Appa to join Aang.

They watched as the kid released some form of gas from his glider and made a picture in the sky. Aang stood with a straight face, which was uncommon for him. Sokka and Katara laughed as the boy's picture became clearer with every twist and turn of his glider. It was a picture of Aang's grumpy face. "He's just trying to have some fun," Sokka laughed at the grump Aang cloud, "You are a ass."

Aang shot Sokka a nasty look and turned back to the cloud portrait of him. He grumbled and crossed his arms. That stupid kid was gliding down to where the group was at. Aang was not ready to see this kid. He was already aggravated that non air nomads occupied this temple. When he landed, Aang didn't expect the kid to be about twelve and happy looking. He had a pair of aviator goggles on, which he slid up to rest on his head. He had messy black hair and fair skin. He was also pretty short. He was shorter than Katara, but not by much.

"I'm Teo," He announced. Sokka nodded in his direction and picked his teeth. Katara smiled at the boy and Aang just stared at him. A small crowd was gathering around them so Aang could tell they weren't very used to visitors. He couldn't decide if that was good or bad.

"I'm Katara," She told Teo with another smile, "That's my brother Sokka and my boyfriend Aang." She gave Aang an elbow to the ribs. He grunted and looked down at her. He didn't know why she couldn't understand he didn't want these people intruding on sacred grounds.

"Hey," Aang told him looking around the temple. They were on a landing stretch so all Aang could see was towering buildings and gliders flying around. The temple seemed off too. It didn't smell the same to him. Something was wrong…

"Would you guys like a tour?" Teo asked with a bright smile. Aang sighed at his nice gesture. It was so hard to be harsh to someone who was killing you with kindness. "We don't get many visitors, but when we do, they always love my tours."

Aang shook his head, "I know my way around." Aang had never been to the temple during his day, but the northern and southern temples were about the same. He could make do with the knowledge he had. That, and he just wanted to get rid of the overly nice kid. "Thanks though," Aang added after he received a glare from Katara _and_ Sokka.

"So about this tour, Teo, does it involve food?" Sokka followed the boy out off of the landing hoping to find food. Teo nodded and steered Sokka to the kitchen. Sokka made sure to send Aang one last dirty look before disappearing around the corner.

Aang sighed and walked the opposite way of the two guys moving towards the temple's old garden. Garden was probably the wrong word to use. In all the temples, there was just one patch of land in the middle of everything. It held the most beautiful trees and flowers. Many monks would meditate there throughout the day.

Katara reluctantly followed Aang. She wasn't going to just forget about his childish behavior. She thought it was very low of Aang to be so rude to a boy who clearly meant no bad intentions. "Where are you going?"

"To the garden," Aang told her, walking down an empty temple hallway. The stones looked just like the ones at the other temple but were even more worn down. Aang figured the people here weren't taking the best care of the temple.

Katara jogged up to meet him. She noticed that she had grown a couple of inches when she walked next to Aang. He was still a good bit taller than her though. "There's a garden here?"

"There should be," Aang told her as they rounded another corner, "There's one at the southern temple so there should be one here. It supposed to be the most relaxing part of the temple." Aang smiled as they came to the end of the hallway. Sunlight was surrounding them and they were suddenly in a garden. The trees were in bloom year round here. There was always something special about the gardens at the temples. They were spiritual. Aang breathed in the smell of flowers and moon peaches.

"It's amazing," Katara wandered through the small garden. There were trees in full bloom around her, which really amazed her. It was late winter around them! She picked a moon peach and smelled it; it smelled ripened to perfection. "How is this possible?"

Aang sat on a stone bench in the middle of the garden and soaked the in the magnificence of the garden. It was one of the last things that remained intact from his culture. Katara sat down next to him and offered him the peach. He smiled and took the fruit. He wished he could see this place when it was full of monks and their bison. Momo scurried out from a tree, dropped down and took Aang's moon peach only to leave as soon as he came. Aang smiled; at least Momo could make it feel like home. "I wish I could've been here a hundred years ago," Katara mumbled to herself.

"Me too," Aang agreed quietly.

…..

"This food is amazing!" Sokka exclaimed with a mouthful of food. He was stuffing his face with meats and breads. He had no idea what they were called, what they were made of or how old they were. He just knew he was finally getting great food!

Teo laughed at Sokka's enthusiasm while eating, "Thanks, but you'll have to stop eating, my dad is coming this way." Sokka looked up and saw a man with hair sticking straight up, dressed in a green shirt and apron, and missing eyebrows. Sokka swallowed the last of his meal and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Teo, I've been looking for you!" His dad said. He paused in front of the table where Sokka and Teo were sitting, "And I see you have a new friend." Sokka nodded and smiled like an idiot.

"Yeah, he and two other people showed up today. One of them is the Avatar," Teo told his father smiling. The Avatar was actually back! Teo and his father had only hoped that the Avatar would return.

"Where are your eyebrows?" Sokka interrupted. He was searching the man's face but found no eyebrows. Now, Sokka was sure everyone in all four nations had eyebrows. It was something everyone had in common, wasn't it?

"Yes, about those…" The man rubbed his chin, "I think I burned them off the day before making an invention. Or was that yesterday?" He trailed off in thought.

"You're an inventor?" Sokka asked. He hadn't met someone who believed in logic yet! Everyone was like 'spirits this' and 'spirits that' and 'fortune telling this' and Sokka was sick and tired of all of it. "You believe in science?"

"Why of course!" The man laughed as if it was the most obvious thing he had ever heard. "What did you expect from an inventor?" Teo's dad motioned for Sokka to follow him, "I'm guessing you're a thinker too," Sokka nodded his head, "Then I have some problems that I need help solving."

"Wait," Teo said running up to them as they left the kitchens. "Can I come along?"

"You can hang out with Aang and Katara," Sokka frowned at the thought of the two of them getting into something else and causing trouble. The people here had good food and they needed to get good here. "You'll find them wherever they can be all lovey-dovey and stuff. Somewhere where no one else is."

Teo slumped his shoulders as his dad and Sokka walked away to work on an invention. From what Sokka said, he wasn't sure if he wanted to go find the two teenagers…but he sighed and walked towards the only place no one in the temple that no one ever visited: the garden.

He didn't know why people steered clear of the garden. He was sure it was because it had an eerie feeling to the new inhabitants. They probably felt like it was intruding too much. Even his father steered clear of the place. He was sure it was the first place an airbender would go.

And he was right. As he entered the garden, Aang and Katara were sitting on a stone bench. They weren't talking or doing anything at all. They were just sitting there. Teo smiled. It was the first time the garden didn't feel…wrong. It felt peaceful and alive. "Hey guys," Teo said quietly. He didn't want to scare them too badly.

Katara and Aang both jumped and turned to the source of the voice: Teo. "Oh hey, Teo," Katara said trying to stop her heart from racing. Things had been so peaceful that she almost felt like she was meditating. She was so absorbed that she didn't notice the boy come in.

"Sokka told me to come find you, he's busy inventing something with my dad," he explained as Aang picked a moon peach and gave it to his flying lemur. Teo glanced at the furry creature he had never seen in his life. "So I thought we could all go gliding to pass the time."

Aang stood up and offered Katara his hand. He felt really bad about earlier and thought the least he could do was be nice to the kid and go gliding. "Sure, that sounds like fun." Aang took his glider in his other hand and followed the excited Teo out of the garden. Aang's mood had greatly improved after having some time in there.

"It's great, Katara have you ever glided?" Teo asked as they wandered the empty hallways. Aang couldn't help but admire the spirit the kid had. He always had a smile on his face and he walked with a bounce in his step. Aang was reminded of all of his friends a hundred years ago.

"I've gone flying with Aang before," Katara said looking up at Aang. Her first experience flying wasn't the greatest but it most certainly couldn't be the worst.

"It's ten times better by yourself," Teo told her with a bright smile, "You feel amazing while gliding! Trust me, it's the best thing ever!" Katara laughed as Teo described his gliding adventures around the temple. Aang just smiled. He was sure this kid could be an actual airbender. "We only moved here a few years ago, but it was totally worth it. This place is the best."

"You moved here?" Aang asked curiously.

"Yeah, we were refugees. Dad is an inventor so the fire nation was always after us. He could be very valuable. And then we found this place after years of moving around. It was perfect," Teo explained. Aang nodded in response. He now felt even worse from treating him so coldly. They fled here instead of bowing down to the enemy. He had to admire that.

"So Katara, here is you glider," Teo walked her over to a glider. "You just take the rail," He grabbed the glider to show her where to place her hands, "And you put your feet on the foot rest on the back once you're in the air. It's pretty simple."

Aang laughed as Katara struggled to work up the courage to walk towards the cliff side. She needed to jump of the cliff to get into the air and glide and Aang was sure she wasn't going to be able to do it. Katara gulped as she stood at the edge.

Aang shook his head and walked up behind her glider quietly. While she was still frozen in fear, he airbended a gust of wind that sent her glider, with her on it, over the edge. "Ahhh!" Aang only laughed and opened up his own glider. He jumped off the cliff and glided down to join her.

"I hate you!" she yelled at Aang. He was flying on his back underneath her, sticking out his tongue. She was gripping the glider with all of her might and trying not to have a panic attack and fall out of the air.

"Close your mouth or you'll choke on a bug," Aang warned her with a laugh. He thought that if she could see her face, she would be laughing too. Her blue eyes were wide with fear and her face was frozen in place.

"Har har," Katara told him. She was beginning to loosen up and be able to enjoy her flying experience. It was totally different than flying with Aang. She felt more in control and more free. Don't get her wrong, she loved flying with Aang, but this was a whole new experience. She looked down at Aang who was still flying with his back to the ground, looking up at her. "So how do I get down?" Katara asked nervously  
"You just kind of crash," Katara's eyes got wider and Aang shook his head and tried to correct himself, "You crash gracefully!" Aang moaned. Nothing he ever said came out right, "I'll get you down later, don't worry."

Katara tried catching her breath and composing herself. She was only gliding. She did that a few times with Aang. And he was right under her. If she fell, Aang would catch her. Of course he would. She sighed in relief and got back to gliding.

"So, Aang…" Katara coughed and tried to clear her throat. Aang flew up closer to her and tried to hear what she was saying. He figured that the wind was just making it hard to hear.

"Katara?" he asked. Her face was turning a weird color and Aang was getting concerned. "Are you…" And then it hit him. She must've swallowed a bug! "Okay just hold on!" He looked around. The landing strip was about fifty feet below them. He gulped and prepared himself. He must've been stupid to try this but he moved to fly directly below her, still flying on his back.

He took her first hand and removed it from the glider and moved it to his shoulder. He tried to fly a little closer to her but held his breath. This was really dangerous and too much weight on the wrong side could send the spiraling. Aang hooked one of his ankles around hers and brought that leg down. Now was the hard part. He held his breath as he removed her hand and other leg from her glider at the same time and quickly. The one swift motion left the both on his glider and heading down to the landing strip.

Aang landed them, not so gently, and laid her on the ground. Teo ran up, "What happened?" Aang leaned down and put his ear down next to her mouth. He didn't hear her breathing and her chest wasn't moving. He put his two fingers on the side of her neck and felt for a pulse. He searched in vain. He took too long to get her down from the air!

"Go get Sokka," Aang got to his knees next to her chest and tried to remember what the monks taught him to do. This happened a lot in his day. Little kids would always choke on bugs and they would have to revive them. He put the heel of his hand in the middle of her chest and put his other hand on top, intertwining his fingers. He hoped he was doing this right because if not, the monks told him that he could easily break a bone in the chest and make things even worse..

He locked his elbow and leaned over and started compressions. A small crowd was forming but Aang had to ignore them and stay focused. He did this one other time and it was so long ago that he was having trouble recalling it. He didn't need distractions now! He counted thirty compressions and leaned over her face. He pinched her nose and leaned her head back. When he was sure her airway would be open, he put his lips over hers and blew in two deep breaths. Within ten seconds, he was back to doing compressions.

After repeating that twice, Sokka showed up with Teo and his father in tow. "What happened?" Sokka asked kneeling on the other side of Katara. "Is she dead or something?" Sokka drilled Aang with questions and Teo stood off to the side with his dad explaining what happened.

"She swallowed a bug and choked," Aang said as he continued the compressions. The monks told him that after giving people this treatment that the person normally had fluids come up. And the bug they swallowed normally came up with it. As soon as Aang did five sets of compressions and breaths, he turned her to the side and let her body get rid of the bug naturally. "She'll be okay, she's breathing again."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Katara's color was returning and Aang could feel her pulse coming back strong. "Do you have a hospital wing or something?" Sokka asked Teo. He nodded and they awaited Aang's approval. He seemed to know what he was doing.

"She just needs some rest and monitoring. She won't be feeling well for a while," Aang told them. He gathered Katara into his arms bridal style and followed Teo to the hospital wing of the temple.

"We've never had someone actually swallow and choke on a bug, bugs normally aren't that big here," Teo was telling Aang. Teo had only swallowed a bug once but quickly recovered and never had a problem.

"We had it happen at our temple. We all learned how to do that after a kid almost died," Aang told them. Sokka walked behind them talking to Teo's dad about inventions.

"So you have a room full of natural gas?" Sokka asked in disbelief. He didn't know people at the temples would have something like that. He could see some place in the fire nation like that since they used weird machines but the air temple seemed like the last place for that.

"Yes, but we have a leak somewhere," he explained while following Aang and Teo, "I nearly burned myself up trying to find it. Never bring a torch with you while searching for gas leaks." Sokka laughed at how stupid the idea was. Even he knew not to do something like that. "So I need something to find the leak."

"Just throw some bad eggs into the room," Sokka told him. Aang had just now sat Katara down on a bed and laid her on her side. Sokka watched as he put a cool cloth on her forehead and then wiped her sweaty face down and pulled the covers up over her. "That way when you get near the leak, you smell rotten egg."

The man paused and rubbed his chin, "Why Sokka, I think you are indeed a genius!" he clapped Sokka on the back and ran off to his office. Sokka raised his eyebrows at the inventor. He was really a strange man.

Sokka sat down on the other side of Katara, facing Aang. He was hunched over and his chin was in his hands. He looked worried sick. Sokka was worried too but he knew Katara wasn't going to die over some bug. She would haunt all of them in her spirit form if she did. Sokka didn't need that. He knew she would survive if it came down to it. She was already breathing and everything.

"Aang," Sokka said to the young bender. He looked up and sighed. He looked worn out. "You did good back there. It wouldn't have been able to do anything like that. You saved her life." Sokka wasn't one for real heartfelt stuff, but Aang just saved his sister's life. Granted she only swallowed a bug and choked, but he still saved her.

Aang just nodded, "Thanks Sokka."

…..

After Katara woke up, Aang and Sokka had to leave. They figured Teo would be fine with Katara and he could help her if she needed anything. The nurse said Katara was in good condition, just exhausted from nearly dying, so Aang and Sokka didn't feel too guilty about needing to leave.

They also felt better about leaving because their trip was for pure business purposes. They had both agreed while Katara was out that the inventor could help them with one major problem: taking out the fire nation. He had the tools and knowledge to take down the nation. No one could stand against a group of smart and dedicated warriors.

"What if he says no?" Aang asked nervously. They were walking to the inventor's office and trying to think of a plan to make the idea sound even better. Going against the fire nation could either go really bad or really good and Aang needed to make the man see that it was going to go really good.

"He'll have to say yes, you're the Avatar!" Sokka punched Aang in the shoulder who groaned in response. Aang hated pulling out the Avatar card and making people work for him.

Aang shook his head at Sokka as he opened the door to the inventor's office. "No!" he heard the inventor say as Aang and Sokka barged in without knocking. Aang was surprised by his response but then he saw why: A fire nation officer was standing in front of him. Sokka squealed like a girl and Aang airbended the guy into the wall.

"Tie him up, Sokka!" Aang pinned the man down as Sokka pulled some random rope of the inventor's shelf. "Good thing we got here…"

"You fool, do you realize what this means?" The officer spat at them, "If I don't get what I come for, you're all in for it!" Sokka stepped back from the officer to stand next to Aang.

"What do you mean?" Aang asked. He looked between the inventor and the officer. Neither looked like they were arguing. They seemed to have been having a conversation. Aang had never been so confused.

"He's selling the fire nation weapons," Sokka said darkly. He had been the first one to put two and two together. It all made sense. The fire nation didn't just give up chasing them. Teo had told Sokka his story too and it didn't make sense to him at the time and now he knew why. The fire nation found them. And they made a deal. And that deal involved his weapons. Every inventor could make a weapon to keep safe.

"Trading," the inventor corrected, "I'm trading them for my people's safety." He hung his head and the officer struggled against his restraints. Aang was still in disbelief and Sokka was enraged. He spent all day helping this man with inventions. Now all of that could possible help the enemy!

"Okay I have an idea," Aang whispered to Sokka. "We have to brainwash the officer and that way he will go back to where he came from and forget everything!" Aang smiled and rubbed his hands together. He had heard rumors of brainwashing and had always wanted to try it.

"Let's do it!" Sokka agreed. Aang grabbed a candle off the shelf and walked in front of the officer. Sokka was grinning like an idiot. He never heard of anyone actually trying this and he was sure Aang was going to fail terribly.

Aang moved the lit candle back and forth in front of the man at a steady pace. "You know nothing." Aang continued on with moving the candle steadily. "You will leave here peacefully and leave these people alone."

The officer's eye twitched. This kid was an idiot. Was he really trying to brainwash him. The officer leaned forward and blew the candle out, staring at Aang in the most annoyed way ever. "I don't think this is going to work."

"We could throw him in the gas chamber," Sokka offered. Aang cringed and shook his head frantically. "Okay, we can shove a bug down his throat. It worked pretty well with Katara." Aang shot Sokka a warning look, "Okay, it's too soon to joke."

"I have a deal for you," the officer said darkly, "Give me the motor machine I came for and I leave peacefully for good." The inventor, Aang, and Sokka all looked at each other skeptically. The deal sounded way too good to be true. "You have my word. Besides, I've got enough to win the war now. The fire lord is quite pleased already."

The inventor hung his head in shame, "Let him take it and leave."

…..

"I can't believe we're leaving already," Katara said. She was finally walking around and helping Aang get supplies onto Appa. It had been a day since she choked on the bug and they were now packing to leave the temple.

"Well we did what we needed to do," Aang said. He told Katara about everything that happened and she wasn't happy about being left out of everything but she was just happy she was alive.

"Yeah and I'm just ready to leave and get to the North Pole, we're really close," Sokka said from the back of the saddle. He wasn't even helping them pack. He was that ready to get out of there and get to the North Pole.

Aang walked over to Teo and his dad, "Thanks for everything. We'll try to be in contact later about you're inventions. They can really turn the tide in the war." Aang was sure the man wasn't helping the fire nation willingly but the damage was done. Now they needed to even it out with some weapons of their own.

"It would be my pleasure," The inventor assured him. Aang waved to Teo and his dad and hopped onto Appa's head. With that short adventure out of the way, they were that closer to the North Pole. And they were that much closer to him mastering airbending.

…..

The officer stood with his army at the base of the mountain. A young soldier ran up and bowed to him before speaking, "The Avatar is gone, we can move in to attack now and retrieve our weapons."

The officer smiled wickedly. He ordered his crew into position, "Good, now let's go get what is ours."

**So that definitely wasn't my best but I wrote this in three hours and I'm ready to go to sleep, I've got more projects to do and its late. Geez, the things I do for writing. Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated. They really make all these sleepless nights worth it. You can also go like my facebook page (guitar-goddess16) for updates, sneak peeks, story recommendations and more! Thanks for reading!**


	16. The Waterbending Master

**I was going to update Friday, but we've been preparing for that dang hurricane so it just so happened to be a few days late… so while I was writing this, I heard this song "Over" By Blake Shelton and I thought wow…that would be a great song for Sokka and Yue in these next few chapters. Just a nice little thought.**

Sokka crossed his arms and leaned back on the saddle. They had been flying for two days straight and now all that surrounded them was ice and water. It was once again freezing so Sokka and Katara had to put their parkas back on to stay warm. Aang on the other hand claimed to be just fine. Sokka wasn't going to pester him. Whatever got them to the North Pole the fastest was going to make him happy. "Can't he fly any higher?" Sokka complained. Since they had been flying for two days straight, Appa was flying just above the water with his feet skimming the surface. They were also going extremely slow, much to Sokka's annoyance.

"I have an idea," Aang said from the front with Katara. Sokka had been doing nothing but complaining and it was giving Aang a huge headache and left him with no patience. "Why don't we climb on your back and you can fly us to the North Pole!"

"Oh, you can kiss my…" But Katara interrupted Sokka with a 'Shut up!' No one was in a good mood and they were all ready to get on land or at least find someone else to talk to. Sokka wasn't good company when they were flying. Well, Sokka was never good company when it came right down to it.

After a few minutes, Appa gave up on flying and just settled down on top of the water. They were now swimming to the North Pole on Appa. And they were going even slower. Katara put a hand on Aang's shoulder to let him know she was going to handle Sokka this time, "Maybe you should just go back sleep Sokka, you're going to need your energy when we get to the North Pole."

"I will not be silenced," Sokka said defiantly, "Besides, all I see is ice and water. How do we know the North Pole even exists? The Fire Nation could've wiped them out years ago!" He sighed and stretched. The bones in his back popped with the sudden movement.

"This sucks," Aang said leaning back into Appa's fur. Katara put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a smile. "At least we aren't being attacked," Aang sighed putting a hand over Katara's.

"I don't know," Sokka said in his usual pessimistic voice, "We get attacked everywhere we go, why would it be any different here? We'll probably get waterbended at and all that stuff." Sokka looked around for emphasis but found no attackers. "They probably don't even know the Avatar is back being this isolated."

"I think it just kills you to be optimistic," Katara retorted with a grimace. "I thought being this close to the Water Tribe would at least make you see the bright side of this. We did make it this far." Aang closed his eyes and tried to ignore their argument.

"I think you need to get your head out of the clouds and think logically for once," Sokka sat up and stared Katara down. She was now on her knees on Appa's head facing Sokka. "These people could attack us and we would be nearly defenseless. We don't know the region and our giant flying bison can't even fly. Things aren't looking good for us, Sis," Sokka shrugged when he saw Katara's angered expression.

"It just kills you that I could be right," Katara sent him one last glare and turned around the sit next to Aang. She was fuming and Aang didn't want to pester her with chit chat. He just let her sit with her arms crossed and fume. Aang took Katara's hand and rubbed circles into the back of her hand. He didn't need both of them mad at the same time. He was sure that would hold disastrous results.

"It kills me you two never stop arguing," Aang said with a groan, "Can we all just get along until we get to the tribe. Then you two can go do whatever you want without each other. No more arguing." Aang closed his eyes and yawned. All of their arguing had made him exhausted. Katara rested her head on his shoulder as he drifted off to sleep….

"Stop them!" Aang bolted straight up with a yelp. He heard Sokka rustle around his bag and he felt Katara sit up too. Whatever had woken the up didn't sound too friendly. Men in blue parkas were surrounding them. They were in large canoe looking boats all standing up and bending. They were trying to freeze Appa into the water.

"Wait!" Aang stood up and held up his hands in an act of surrender, "I'm the Avatar!" One of the men bended a large wave at Aang but he redirected it. He demonstrated some airbending by sending a blast of air at the men. "So stop attacking!"

Sokka grunted from the back of Appa, "So will I be getting a written apology…"

"Shut up Sokka!" Both Aang and Katara shouted.

…

Zhao stood in front of some of the most important Fire Nation advisors and generals. They were all attending his meeting about the Avatar. Zhao was sure he knew the Avatar's intentions and that he had a way of stopping the boy. After all, he had really been causing too much trouble for the Fire Nation. Now was Zhao's chance to stop the child. "I have been tracking the Avatar, and from his traveling patterns, I have a good idea of where he is heading," Zhao paused and pointed at one spot on the map on the wall, "The Northern Water Tribe."

"Why would he go there?" One general asked, "He was just at one of the poles not too long ago. Why would he go to the other Water Tribe?"

Zhao walked in front of the men at the round table, "It is simple. He needs to learn waterbending from a master. The girl traveling with him isn't very skilled. They both need a teacher. And that is something the Southern Tribe lacks."

One of his advisors nodded in agreement but stopped Zhao, "What are you suggesting, Admiral?" He had known Zhao and worked with him for a good long while. He knew that the man was bright but deceptive and crooked, like most officers. He knew something was going to be for his gain.

"We need a massive invasion force to start heading for the North Pole," Zhao said calmly. He did not like his advisors interrupting his plans. He needed that information to be dealt out later when his other advisors and generals were confident in his plan. Now he had to put his plan out there earlier.

"Why do you need an invasion for one teenager?" A general asked with his arms crossed and a displeased look on his face, "Can you not handle the boy?"

"I assure you that is not what I meant, General," Zhao said through clenched teeth. Word had gotten out about the Avatar destroying his ships not too long ago and was the laughing stock of the army for a week. "I have a much bigger plan that just capturing the Avatar. Since we already have to fetch him from the pole, I thought we might as well make the trip worth it."  
"Just come out with it, Zhao," The old general said.

"We are going to launch an attack on the North Pole and destroy the stronghold once and for all."

The following hours put the army in full gear. Men were being recruited and everything was short of chaos. Iroh did not know what to make of all the soldiers showing up on deck. He was just enjoying the crew's music night for spirit's sake!

The night was cool and the water lapped gently against their docked boat. Music filled the crisp air around them and the fire centered around them lit up the deck perfectly. Iroh was not happy at all about the new soldiers appearing on the ship? Did they have no respect for beautiful music? He did not know the answer to that but he did know this: Zuko was about to be one unhappy prince.

…

Sokka sat proudly at the back of the saddle. The men had apologized endlessly when they found out Aang's identity and now they had an escort to the Water Tribe. He felt like royalty! It was a great feeling to Sokka and he was definitely soaking it all in. he couldn't imagine how great the chief would treat them once Aang presented himself. They might actually get amazing food!

Aang had a much more humble outlook on the situation. He was just glad they didn't freeze them in a block of ice at the bottom of the sea. That would not have been a good way to end their journey. He hated playing the Avatar card, but dying wasn't the best option. He didn't see the point of an escort but he wasn't about to complain. Katara wasn't either. At least it shut up Sokka.

She was observing the city as they floated on one of the waterways. Small canals worked as roadways and the city floated on water. It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. The city glistened with snow and ice, buildings rose high into the air, and the city was going up on a constant slope so you could see every building if you were outside the gates of the tribe.

"I really hope you find something to do here, Sokka," Katara said as she climbed onto the saddle. Aang was deep in thought about something and she decided to pester her brother instead of bothering Aang. He was probably nervous about finding a master. "Aang and I aren't going to be around since we're going to be learning to waterbend."

Sokka was barely listening to her. This was normally nothing unusual but he did have a legitimate reason. There was the most breathtaking girl he had ever seen just a few boats length away from them. He was opening staring at her as their escorts were drawing nearer to each other. He knew exactly what he was going to be doing the next few days… he smiled as he saw the beauty's boat pass next to Appa. She had white snow white hair and tan skin. Sokka could see her glistening blue eyes from his spot on Appa. Oh, he definitely knew where he would be…

"Sokka," Katara interrupted his amazing thoughts of the beautiful girl, "are you even listening to me?" Sokka blinked as Katara crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance. "I'll take that as a no." Sokka could only nod his head in agreement. He had to find that girl again.

…..

Aang helped Katara down from Appa. They were now walking down one of the sidewalks of the Northern Water Tribe. They let Appa into their designated house and let him warm up the in the home and eat all the food he could. He needed his rest. But Katara and Aang weren't going to follow Appa's example.

"Where do you think Sokka went?" Katara asked as they left their temporary house and headed for the Chief's mansion on the top of the city. One of the escorts told them that they would have to meet with the chief before tonight. He mentioned things had been very busy here…

"Probably looking for some girl to harass or trying to find food," Aang said nonchalantly. Sokka didn't have many activities he liked to engage in and those two were normally the only things he ever did. Aang was surprised Katara couldn't figure her brother out.

Katara's eye twitched. Sometimes, it was just plain insulting to be related to someone as shallow as him. They had literally fought their way up to the North Pole and now all he was worried about was girls and food. She was hoping this trip was going to help him somewhat. "I guess he'll eventually find his way back…"

"Don't worry about him," Aang said as they turned down another sidewalk. "If you want to worry about something, worry about how this meeting will go. I know I am." Aang wasn't sure if he was going to be a suitable Avatar in the Chief's eyes. A lot of things were riding on this meeting. Aang needed some backup with an army and he needed a teacher. If the Chief didn't like him…Aang couldn't even bear to think about it.

"Everything's going to go fine, Aang," Katara reassured him, "You're a great Avatar. He would be crazy to turn down you help in the war." On their way up to the North Pole, Aang and Sokka had spent long hours deciding what they would do once they got here besides getting a master. Sokka felt like the Chief would aid Aang in the war with troops once they got an invasion plan together. Sokka said now was a good enough time to bring up the idea to the Chief since Aang's deadline was the summer's end.

"Are you sure?" Aang stopped in front of the mansion's gates. He figured mansion wasn't a proper term for the building. It was hardly bigger than most of the building in the city but it did seem extravagant in its own way…

"Of course," Katara said. She too was mesmerized by the appearance of the building in front of them.

"Is this that lying thing Sokka says you call optimism?" Aang fidgeted nervously. A rather cool breeze was blowing and he was having trouble staying warm which was very odd for the Avatar.

"Optimism and lying are two different things," Katara said defensively, "Besides, I call this confidence. Now get your butt in there and get this meeting started." Katara gave Aang a gentle nudge and they walked through the gates together.

Aang made his way down passed the porch into the actual house. The temperature jumped up many degrees upon walking through the door. Aang trembled from his anxiousness. Katara patted him on the arm and tried to console him. Though all this continued without any luck until they reached the Chief's office. "Just breathe. It'll be fine," Katara assured him one last time.

Aang nodded and knocked on the door lightly. Aang was expecting the chief to answer with a 'come in' but he surprised bother Aang and Katara by opening the door himself. The Chief was a man, barely taller than Aang, had shoulder length brown hair and deep blue eyes. He didn't appear to be a strict person but rather a more relaxed a carefree person. Aang sighed in relief when he responded to the Avatar warmly, "Hello, Avatar, come in."

"Hi, Mr. Chief, sir, person," Aang said with a nervous smile. Katara mentally slapped herself as Aang embarrassed himself. "I'm Aang, and this is Katara. Her brother Sokka is a little busy taking in the sights…"

"Can't blame the boy," The Chief waved for them to take a seat in front of his desk. He moved to other side and set in his own seat. "If I do say so myself, the city is a lot to take in at once. Its beauty needs time to be appreciated."

"I agree, Sir," Katara said with a warm smile which the Chief returned. They sat in a strained silence for a moment. None of the three knew what to say to the other. The Chief called the meeting but that would be standard procedure when someone of importance came to the Tribe. He had never had to sit down with an Avatar.

"I'm assuming you've come here to find a master," Chief Arnook said bluntly. Aang nodded in agreement. "Well, we have a very experience man here who teaches all the best waterbenders. His name is Master Pakku."

Aang nodded again, "I'm sure he is the best, sir, I'd be happy to train with him. But I have no money to offer and I'm not talented at any sort of service that I could offer in return…"

"It is no problem," Arnook assured him, "It would be the highest honor for you to learn waterbending here. No payment is necessary." The Chief studied Aang as he processed this. He could tell the young man was too humble to accept such an offer and it was a trait Arnook admired in the boy. He would have never offered it to the young man if he thought he was undeserving.

"I don't want to impose on you or the master," Aang told Arnook nervously. It was true Aang didn't want to make the chief feel like it was a duty he had to carry out by giving him free lessons but Aang also knew that he had to learn waterbending to defeat the Fire Lord.

"You certainly are not imposing on me if I made the offer before you could bring up the subject," Arnook silenced all of Aang's protests. "Is there any business you need to bring up while we are here?"

Aang nodded, "We are in the process of making an invasion plan. But the plan would fail without some sort of army. Would you be willing to support us in taking down the Fire Lord and ending the war?" Aang watched as Arnook considered it for a fraction of a second.  
"I would do whatever it takes to do that, Avatar," The chief smiled. It gave him much hope to finally have some sort of plan underway to free their world of oppression.

…..

Aang and Katara sat down at the raised table. All of the highest officials were in the room, seated at other tables and common people were standing around the room, enjoying the celebration. The food hadn't been served yet, which might explain Sokka's absence.

"Miss me?" Sokka asked sitting down next to Katara. Aang leaned across Katara to look at Sokka.

"Where have you been?" Aang demanded in a whisper, "We had to go meet the chief without you." Sokka shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a cup off the table and drank it dry. He had worn himself out walking across the whole city looking for that one girl.

"Friends, family, your attention," The Chief stood up and everyone in the hall turned their attention to Arnook. "Tonight, we feast in honor of the Avatar's arrival. And of the arrival of a brother and sister from the Southern Tribe. We are very delighted to have you all here tonight." Everyone clapped politely. "We are also celebrating my daughter, Yue's, sixteenth birthday. She is now of marrying age!" Everyone cheered as the princess made an appearance and walked towards the raised table. "Enjoy the feast!"

Sokka's jaw dropped when he saw the princess. She was the same girl he was chasing all day with no avail. Sokka had to compose himself as much as possible as she sat down gracefully next to him. He almost choked on his spit when her aroma reached him. She smelled heavenly! Or maybe it was just because bathing had become a scarce practice when running from danger.

"So, hi, Princess!" Sokka said nervously. He didn't know what possessed him to speak but he did. And he was sure he was about to stick his foot in his mouth. He gulped at the thought of embarrassing himself further. "I'm Sokka!"

"Hi," Yue smiled politely, "I'm Yue. But you probably heard that already when my dad was talking…" she blushed as Sokka stared at her for a few seconds shamelessly.

"You know, I'm like the prince of my tribe," Sokka said proudly and with a weak smile. He had to say something to impress her! His dad was the Chief after all so it wasn't too much of a lie…

"The prince of what?" Katara whispered to Aang. They were both listening to Sokka's conversation with the princess. Katara wasn't surprised he tried to claim himself as a prince. It was a Sokka kind of thing to do.

"The prince of turning girls gay," Aang whispered back. Katara tried to hold back her laughter and buried her face in Aang's shoulder. He was having trouble containing his laughter too. He would never forget that day of the storm.

Sokka heard Aang's comment but decided to ignore it and focus on his task at hand: making the princess like him. "Oh, really?" Yue smiled as Sokka nodded rapidly. "Well, that is quite a coincidence."

'Or fate,' Sokka said to himself. Instead, he said, "Yeah it is. You know I was thinking, maybe we can coincidently meet up somewhere to do…an activity?" Sokka choked on his words.

"An activity?" Yue asked with a slight giggle. She saw Sokka blush madly and stumble for his words. She also couldn't help but notice the Avatar and Sokka's sister laughing silently and leaning on each other for support.

"Or if you rather an adventure, we could do that!" Sokka said. His voice was beginning to crack from him being so nervous. He groaned when he realized how stupid he was sounding.

He wasn't the only one noticing his stupidity. Aang and Katara were nearly dying in their seats. Katara was leaning into Aang and trying to muffle her laughs. She was quite pleased in a way. She was much better at flirting than her brother. Well, maybe not, but she was the one with a date. "I thought he hated love adventures," Katara said breathlessly.

***A.N. I have nothing against gay people. It's just funny that Sokka is so unappealing that he repels girls sometimes. So I don't mean to offend anyone. I promise* **"He's just hoping that this one won't turn her gay," Aang whispered back to her. Katara was crying from trying to hold back her laughter. Oh, this was rich!

"Are they okay?" Yue asked as she watched the two young benders gasp for breath. Sokka groaned. They were making fun of him! Oh he was going to show them! He was going to get a date with Yue even if it killed him!

"Yeah, this is normal for them…" Sokka said quietly. He glanced over at the two who were just now able to start controlling their laughter. "So about that activity…"

"I'd much rather an adventure," Yue stood and winked at Sokka. Sokka gulped as he watched her leave the table. Oh spirits….Sokka couldn't grasp what he had just heard. So he occupied himself by stuffing food into his face.

Aang and Katara, now that they had recovered from their near death experience with laughing, were eating. Aang shied away from anything that looked sort of like meat and ate what little vegetables they had. "Avatar Aang," A sly voice asked from above him. Aang looked up at the man in front of him. "A word if you will."

Aang nodded and stood up to follow the man across the room. The man was older, had white hair and the traditional dark skin and blue eyes. He had long hair that made a semicircle around the top of head, leaving him bald at that top. His mustache was much too long and hung down loosely in three strands. "I'm master Pakku and you will address me as such," He didn't wait for Aang to respond, "Though you may be the Avatar and be in a sore financial standing, I do not intend to give you any special treatment. I expect you to be there bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Will my friend be able to attend tomorrow too? We've been working together for a while now to learn the basics…" Aang was hesitant to tell him they were boyfriend and girlfriend. He figured that it would only make him think that she would be a distraction and say she couldn't come.

"Whatever gets you learning faster. The less time we waste the better," and with that, Pakku walked off. Aang raced back to tell Katara about them having waterbending practice tomorrow!

…

Zuko rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Things couldn't have been going worse. He had lost track of the Avatar and sat at the dock for a few days now. He had never felt more useless. And now he was hearing rumors of Zhao taking command of a huge army and finding the Avatar. News traveled fast in the army and Zuko was sure things were just starting.

He swallowed back his anxiety. He needed to be strong and face this like a man. This was for his honor! He wasn't just fighting for some puny prize and a pat on the back. This was for everything he wanted and dreamed of for years! This was about getting his life back!

He groaned and rubbed he temples. He felt a headache coming on. This isn't how he imagined things going once he found the Avatar. He didn't expect him to be a young teen full of energy and able to thoroughly kick his butt. He also didn't expect him to have help. Things couldn't get worse.

At least that is what he thought until his uncle's voice called to him, "Um, Prince Zuko, someone is here to see you." Zuko got to his feet and stood in his robe and long red pants. Who could possibly come in for a visit this late at night?

Zuko was confused until the person walked in. It was Zhao! There in front of him was the very man destroying all of his plans! "Why, Prince Zuko, I hope I wasn't interrupting your beauty sleep, I know you need as much of it as you can get with that kind of face."

"Stop with the jokes and just get this over with," Zuko growled at the tall man, "I have better things to do with my night." Iroh stood in the doorway and watched as Zhao walked around Zuko's private quarters. He could tell Zuko was already upset and this was terrible timing.

"My reason is pretty simple Zuko," Zhao paced around the prince's room and stopped at one wall. There hung two swords. Upon closer inspection he realized he had seen them before. He picked up one and faced Zuko, "I'm taking your crew for my invasion."  
"What!?" Zuko roared. Iroh was sure steam was about to blow from his nephew's ears. He stood in the doorway and watched as Zhao stood with the sword in his hand. He thought it was unusual that Zhao wasn't using this moment to gloat.

"Yes," Zhao came back to earth and stared at the sword. "I didn't know you were skilled with swords, Zuko." Zhao tested the weight of the sword. It was the perfect weight for someone of Zuko's size. Everything was starting to make sense now…

"I'm not. They're just decorative pieces," Zuko blinked back some terror. Zhao must've put two and two together. He must've figured out Zuko was the blue spirit! Zuko swallowed and tried to remain calm.

"Hmm, anyway, Iroh," Zhao said after putting the sword back. He knew just what to do now if he could just get out of here in time. "I hope you reconsider my offer. Goodnight I'm off to commit genocide." Zhao walked out of the room and off the ship. Once he was out of sight, he dashed for his base down the coast.

Zuko was the blue spirit! He finally realized that it made perfect since! And he knew just who to call. He had heard of his run in with some pirates. And if pirates could be persuaded with some gold and promise of revenge…well Zhao knew things were going to go just as planned.

…..

Katara squeezed Aang's hand as they walked to the training arena. She couldn't believe that today was her day to learn waterbending from a real master! It had been her dream for so long…And it only got ten times better when she was reminded that she got to learn with Aang.

"Are you ready, Katara?" Aang asked as they walked up the steps to the arena area. The sun was just about to peek up and the sky was turning a few shades lighter. The air was freezing cold but Aang didn't seem to be bothered by it, even if he was only wearing his Air Nomad clothes.

"I think so," Katara said nervously. She was shaking but it wasn't from the cold air that whipped around them. She was worried she wouldn't be good enough to keep up with the other students.

"Good morning, Master Pakku!" Aang said cheerfully. Katara dropped Aang's hand. She didn't want the master to have some fit over distractions and all that stuff. She decided it would be much easier that way.

Pakku turned around to face the young benders and was shocked at what he saw. It was the Avatar and the _girl_. "Avatar, I think we may have had some miscommunication. Who is this? And where is your other friend, the bender?"

Aang's face dropped and his paused in the middle of the arena where Pakku was standing a few feet away. "This is my friend, she's the bender. And a really good one too. This is Katara," Aang motioned over to Katara who was standing shyly next to him. She had a feeling something was terribly wrong.

"No, I think you made a mistake. You didn't say your friend was a _girl_," Pakku said this as if it was some disease you would catch from being an irresponsible and nasty person. Aang could tell this was an insult and was not about to let him say something about Katara.

"Well I'm not an expert but I can normally look at someone and say 'hey that's a girl', you know they tend to look different in certain places," Aang said sarcastically. Katara gave his arm a tug and tried to shut him up before he said something really wrong.

"I'm not an expert either Avatar but I can figure that out myself, thank you," Pakku sneered at the young man, "I was just saying that I was under the impression your bending friend was the boy you brought along."

"No, I'm the bender," Katara said with defiance in her voice. She didn't like where this was going but she wasn't going to let Aang do all the fighting. She was going to stand up for herself and make her own scene.

"Too bad," Pakku said, "Only men can learn to bend here. All women and girls learn how to heal. It is our customs. And I'm not going to make any exceptions for the Avatar and his fan girl." Pakku bended himself a small stool looking ice block to sit on. "Now you can go down to the hut a few blocks from here and learn to heal. I'm sure that would be just magnificent."

"Well if you won't teach her, I won't learn!" Aang shouted at the man. He had been holding in his anger. This was normally not a hard task for him, but the old man made Aang angrier than anything. All he wanted was for Katara to learn something and have her dreams fulfilled and all the other stuff she ranted on about on the way here.

"Is that a sweetener for the deal because this is starting to sound pretty good," Pakku said sarcastically crossing his legs. Aang's eyebrow twitched and his jaw clenched. This man was about to get an earful and a good beating. From Katara of course.

"Aang, you have to learn bending," Katara said with a sigh. "As much as I want to learn to fight, you have to learn. You have to master the elements. Do it without me." It pained Katara to say that when in actuality, she wanted just the opposite. She wanted to learn to waterbend with Aang like they had talked about their whole journey here. They spent weeks anticipating this moment. And now it wasn't going to happen.

Aang looked down at his girlfriend. He could read her face like an open scroll. He knew she didn't want this but they didn't have a choice, "I know you'll kick the crap out of healing. I hope you give them hell." Aang smiled and kissed her forehead. She looked down in disappointment but recovered from her selfish moment. She smiled back up at Aang and turned to leave them. But she did give Pakku a very dirty look over her shoulder. She wasn't done yet. She was going to learn to bend.

While Aang and Katara were having a terrible day, Sokka was hell bent on making his great. He had to find Yue again and ask her out. He was pacing the city and searching the walkways and waterways for the beautiful princess. And he finally found her! "Yue!" Sokka waved from the sidewalk. She was in a small canoe with a man paddling in the back.

"Hi, Sokka," Yue smiled at him. His head went fuzzy and he felt drool accumulate at the corners of his mouth. He licked his lips dry and focused back on her because she decided to speak again. "You know, I was wondering about that adventure you were talking about."

"Me too," Sokka said. He was walking down the sidewalk and followed the boat. Only about two feet separated them and Sokka longed for that space to disappear. "How about we meet tonight at that bridge." Sokka pointed to the bridge above them they were now approaching.

"Sounds good, Sokka," Yue giggled. Sokka was in his own fantasy world as he kept walking along side the boat. That was until he was suddenly engulfed in freezing cold water! "Ah!" Yue looked back and gasped. "Stop the boat!"

Sokka had just resurfaced and the first thing he saw was Yue leaning over the side of her boat offering Sokka her hand. He took it as Yue helped him into the boat. "I guess I should've watched where I was going."

Yue giggled as she took Sokka's wet parka off. "You need to get that wet shirt off," She told him as she set his parka at the bottom of the boat. Being the princess, she got special made parkas and the one she wore today had a button down front. She couldn't help but wonder how ironic that was as she unbuttoned the parka.

"What are you doing?" Asked the now shirtless Sokka. She pulled him into a hug and closed her parka around both of them. Her smell was intoxicating to Sokka and he sighed in content as her hair and dark skin filled his vision.

"If we don't get you warmed up, you could get sick," Yue told him with a grin, "And I can't have you missing our first adventure."

…

Katara sat in her healing lesson. She was surrounded by young girls. They all looked to be about seven years old and clueless. She felt like a complete failure while sitting around the round table with the test dummy.

She was learning how to heal injuries deep under layers of muscle when the master healer decided to call it a day. "That is it for today class, I hope to see you all early tomorrow morning." All the young girls sprung up and ran out of the room probably to go play somewhere. Katara sighed as she stood up. "I assume you weren't here on choice."

"No," Katara admitted as the healer walked over to her. "I was going to learn waterbending but then I was informed about your tribe's customs. It was a bit of a downer." The healer nodded as Katara vented about her feelings.

She was about to say something about her tribe's old customs but was stopped when she caught a glimpse of necklace around Katara's neck. "Why, are you getting married?" the healer smiled, "I thought you and the young Avatar looked very happy together."

Katara's hand went up instinctively to her mother's betrothal necklace. "Oh no, Aang and I are just dating, we're not engaged." Katara almost laughed at the women's reaction. She was so sure about her and Aang being engaged.

"Wait I recognize that necklace," The lady gasped, "That was Kanna's necklace!" Katara stepped back and frowned. This lady knew her grandmother's name! "You must be related to her! We were best friends when she lived here. Then she disappeared after she got into an arranged marriage. I never saw her again."

Katara stepped back again and ran out of the hut. Her grandmother had lived here! And she never told her! She couldn't believe it.

….

Iroh poked his head into Zuko's room. "I am leaving now to go for a walk. Are you sure you are okay here by yourself?" Iroh was concerned for his young nephew who had spent all day in his room. He knew he was mad about Zhao but he was sure a few more hours of solitude would clear his mind.

"Go ahead," Zuko mumbled laying on his bed. His face the roof and studied every indention in the metal and counted every screw. He didn't want to think. He didn't want to move. He didn't want to be alive. Things had officially bottomed out. Things were too far gone. His honor was gone. It was all over.

"Don't stay up too late, sleep is good for a young man," Iroh told him and left him laying in bed. He walked down onto the dock and walked down the coast a little ways. He sighed as he thought of his poor nephew. He really needed a nice break from all of this.

Three pirates chuckled as they rolled some blasting jelly up to the ship. Now that the fat man was gone, they could blow up the ship and send the scar faced kid sky high and get their money. They set up the jelly by all of the doors and entry ways on the ship. Then they pilled some on all of the cargo and deck. This ship was going to be reduced down to nothing!

"Get off the ship!" One of them whispered. While he said this, Zuko got out of bed and started walking around aimlessly. It was too quiet now that his crew was gone. He would never admit it, but he missed them. He missed the company and people to yell at.

He didn't know why, but he ended up in the control room. It was the highest point on the ship and he could see all down the coast. It was too dark to see far but he could see somewhat. He sighed as he leaned against a wall and looked out the window. He didn't expect it, but something moved. He looked closer and gazed down to the deck. There was someone moving down there and it was too small to be his uncle.

He was about to go down the ladder when a large boom shook the ship. He yelled as fire flooded his view. He bended as much as possible away from him and pushed it all way. But he was thrown into a wall and a shelf of something hard fell on him.

A little ways down the coast, Iroh heard the explosion. "Zuko!" he yelled. He started to run back for the ship and he could see red hot flames silhouetted against the dark sky. Tears stung his eyes and he ran towards his nephew. His only family he had. He couldn't lose him.

…

Sokka gulped down the last bit of terror in him. He was actually about to meet Yue for a date. "Sokka," A voice called out to him. He turned around and saw Yue walking up the steps of the bridge. He smiled as the moonlight reflected perfectly off her white hair and blue eyes. She looked amazing.

"Yue," He replied with a grin. She walked up next to him and looked out over the city. The moon was almost full and it made the night breathtaking. She blushed as Sokka moved closer. And he moved closer. And he moved closer. Until he was just inches away from her. She could feel his warm breath wash across her. Her lips tingled with anticipation.

"Yue," He repeated and she closed the gap between them. They both closed their eyes and sunk into each other. The couple embraced with bathed in moonlight and moved by a soft breeze. Sokka smiled against her lips and deepened their kiss.

"Sokka," Yue leaned back from the kiss. "I can't do this," She looked away from his piercing blue eyes and tried to focus on anything but his warm arms around her and his steady breath tickling her lips.

"Sure you can, we were doing pretty good," Sokka said obviously confused. He didn't see the harm in kissing especially if they were good at it.

"No what I mean is," Yue paused and gasped, "I'm engaged." She spun out of his arms and ran back the way she came from.

Sokka watched as the last strand of white hair disappeared with her. He sighed and started walking back to his home with his friends. "But that just makes it so much hotter," He kicked some snow and sighed. Nothing ever worked out for him.

….

Katara and Aang sat out under the almost full moon. "Well those were some easy moves, practice couldn't have been that bad," Katara determined. They had just finished practicing waterbending. Aang told her that if Pakku wouldn't teach her that he would. She gratefully accepted.

"The guy sucks," Aang told her with a groan, "He treats me like a little kid and speaks to me like I'm too dumb to understand." Aang lied back into the snow and stared up into the sky. He could see so many stars while this far north. It was beautiful.

Katara laid down next to him and sighed, unable to think of an insult bad enough for the old man. But she was sure she would eventually make up a word bad enough for him. Until then, she intertwined her hand with Aang's and a small grin etched her perfect lips. "I can't believe we actually made it here."  
"I know, I thought Sokka would've dragged you home a long time ago," Aang admitted with a frown, "things were pretty rough. And I have a feeling this is only the beginning of a long journey." Katara nodded in agreement.

Aang rolled over to his side to face Katara. She was on her back staring up at him with her big blue eyes. Aang smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her.

Katara swore that they heated up several degrees and that the snow around them was going to start melting soon. Tingles shot up her spine as Aang moved to hover over her. One of his legs was in between hers and one of his hands rested on her hip while the other caressed her face.

"Aang," Katara gasped as he broke their kiss. He kissed her neck briefly and one of her hands traced the tattoo that ran over his head.

"Yes, Aang, great job," Three ice spikes just narrowly missed them. Aang jumped away from Katara and turned to face their attacker. "Are you surprised that I came to check on you two. I thought I would find you waterbending but this is much worse."

…

Sokka, Aang and Katara all stood in front of the Chief, his wife, Yue and some more important people. Sokka was intercepted on his way home and brought here where he found everyone waiting for him. Now they were going to begin their 'interrogation'.

Arnook sighed and ran a hand through his long hair, "Could you please explain why you called an urgent meeting, Master Pakku?" Arnook wasn't pleased about being woken up for some sort of trial.

Pakku sat on his spot on the bench and stared down Katara. "Yes, well you know it is our tribe's customs that couples practice abstinence and things of the sort. Well I happened upon the Avatar and that she-devil doing some very…questionable things. They already tried to push our tribe's decision on no women benders. I want them punished."

"You two are sleeping together?" Sokka yelled and gaped at horror at them. He was gone for one hour and they were already going at it like a bunch of animals! He choked on his spit and gasped for air. He was going to kill Aang once he could breathe properly.

"We are not!" Katara yelled at her brother and Pakku. It's called kissing. People do that sort of thing. And waterbending shouldn't be restricted to one gender. That is the most sexiest thing I have ever heard!"

"You are at our tribe so you will respect our customs," Pakku said lowly, "I don't know if you practice loosely at the Southern tribe but we have standards and morals here and practice them strictly."

"All I wanted to do was learn to fight," Katara yelled at Pakku who was too losing his temper. Aang and Sokka stood in shook like the rest of the officials. "And I don't give a damn about your traditions! I traveled the whole world with my idiot brother and the Avatar, gave up my own life at home, and came here to learn. Isn't that worth at least one lesson?"

The Chief looked at his advisors. They most certainly admired the young girl's courage and were ready to give into her so they wouldn't get harmed in the process. "Maybe you should go back to the healing hut. You have a terrible case of raging bi…"

"I'll rip your heart out!" Katara dashed forward and tackled the old man down. Everyone watched in awe and Pakku threw her off. She landed outside in the arena and Pakku walked out. Katara looked up at him from her knees. She wasn't going to give in now.

"Kick his ass, Katara!" Aang yelled as he and the rest of the officials ran outside into the arena. Everyone looked at the young Avatar strangely. "Was that too much?" Aang chuckled nervously.

But no one responded because Katara was making the biggest waterwhip and sending it at Pakku. He easily deflected it and sent it back to her. She ducked and dodged her redirected attack. She was going to need something really crazy to beat this master.

Pakku grinned as he saw the pillar of decorative ice standing near the young bender. He concentrated for a moment, then quickly moved and sent the pillar down on her. She yelped and dove forward knowing well she wasn't strong enough to bend that away. She landed in a water fountain and her hair was a flowing mess around her. She stood up and froze an arsenal of ice daggers. And two at a time, one for each hand, she threw them at the master bender.

His old joints slowed him down but he dodged all of them. While he was distracted by the daggers, Katara sprinted over to him and tackled him to the ground. She put a knee in his back and buried his face in the snow over and over again. She had no idea why she had the urge to do that but it sure made her feel better. Her hair was falling in her face and her breath was strained and forced. No matter how much she fought, she always reacted this way. And this is what led to Pakku's next move.

Pakku grunted. He had enough of her childish games and could feel her weakening. He didn't want hair pulling and biting to be next on the agenda so he bucked the girl off and made an ice dagger cage, stopping her dead in her tracks. Everyone watched as Katara fought against the ice. "Let me out!"

"Not likely," Pakku grunted and walked away from the bender who was still struggling. For some odd reason, he decided to look down and was met by a blue object lying in the snow. He bent down to pick it up and gasped. "This was my betrothal necklace."

"It's mine!" Katara yelled straining against her confines, "Now put it down!"

"No, I carved this, for my love, Kanna," Katara grunted as she heard her Gran Gran's name again. "I was arranged to marry her years ago but she left before I could marry her."

"Old people love," Sokka gagged and turned red. Aang couldn't help but agree with him.

"Maybe it's because your stupid traditions smothered her and she wanted out!" Katara finally broke the ice around her and landed on her knees in the snow. She struggled to catch her breath.

Pakku paused in front of the young girl who was panting on the ground. She was Kanna's granddaughter. How could he not see it before? "I expect to see you in the morning, first thing. Don't be late or I'll change my mind."

As Pakku walked off, he dropped Katara's necklace and left. Aang picked up the blue necklace and walked over to Katara. He tied the necklace to her neck and kissed her forehead. She was burning up and sweating. He picked her up off the ground bridal style and carried her back to their house with Sokka.

Yue watched as Aang left with his girlfriend and Sokka. She couldn't help but wish that she could let Sokka be like that for her…

…

Iroh sat down across from Zhao, "I have come to accept your offer." Iroh sipped his tea but couldn't taste it. Nothing would help what just happened. And the man across from him bore no consolation.

"I am deeply sorry for your loss, Iroh, but I am glad you will be helping me," Zhao nodded and fixed another cup of tea for himself. Everything was perfect now. He was rid of Zuko, the blue spirit and those pirates would no longer bother any fire nation troops. And most importantly, he got the best fire bender in the nation on his side. The Avatar was his!

**It may be rushed and there may be a lot of errors but I wrote this in a few hours (20 pages in Word) and all while preparing for the hurricane coming in. So please pray for everyone who is going to be affected by this storm. At least seven people have already died in Haiti today from it. Thank you guys for reading by the way! Check out my facebook page for sneak peeks (guitar-goddess16). You can also request things you want to happen. I'm totally open minded to all ideas. So please review! It really makes all this hard work worth it!**


	17. The Seige of The North Part One

**Thank God, I didn't die in that hurricane. Sokka would be proud I showed the universe who is boss by trolling all over that hurricane. Sadly, there will be no more Abridged references until Zuko's date in book two *smiles devilishly* But…I don't have a ton of great ideas for this chapter but the next one should be really good. If y'all have any ideas feel free to review them or PM. I'm pretty open minded. I'm already feeling pretty good about the end of this season. I made a playlist of the most kick ass music to get me into the fighting mood. So without further ado, Part one of the season one finale!**

Katara smiled as she stared down her opponent. He was her height and rather skinny for a guy, just like most of the guys here for training. No one here intimidated her. She had practiced day and night. And now her results were showing.

The guy before her shivered from fear and cold as he tried his best to prepare for the fight, or lack of. Everyone in the training arena watched as Katara effortlessly shot him up on a pillar of snow and sent him forcefully back down to the ground. He was out before he even left the ground.

Katara sat up straight and admired her work. "Go Katara!" She smiled as the Avatar shouted from the front of the group. Every other guy was on the ground tending to their injuries. She blushed as Aang cheered for her some more.

"I believe the Avatar has the right idea," Master Pakku said as he looked down at her defeated opponents. "Go Katara, indeed." He walked up to her with a bright smile and patted her shoulder, "I have never seen someone progress so fast." Katara blushed at his compliments but he continued, "But I guess that is what happens when someone actually pays attention and works for what they want."

"Thanks, Master," Katara smiled proudly. She had never felt so accomplished in her life. It had long been her dream to study waterbending and master it. Now here she was doing just that! "I hope the other students will be okay…"

Pakku glanced at the other students all laying on the ground in agony, "I'm sure their pride is hurt much worse than anything. They will soon recover. Until then, is there anyone else who wants to fight Katara?" When no one responded Pakku looked over at Aang, "Don't you want a rematch, Avatar?"

"No, Master, she got me good enough the last two times," Aang blushed and rubbed his neck. Katara even told Aang that morning that she would go easy on him and she still beat him. Scratch that, she kicked his butt, twice. "I'm sure her pride is big enough now."

Katara waterbended some snow into his face and he fell on his back dusting snow off of him. She smiled as she watched all of her opponents lay defeated on the ground. No guy here could beat her. She beat the tribe's customs and finally learned waterbending.

….

Sokka and Yue walked through the extravagant town together only a few inches separating them. Yue laughed as Sokka told another corny joke and gave him a gentle shove. The water next to the sidewalk lapped gently against the ice and sparkled in the sunlight, dancing off Yue's pure white hair. Sokka tried with everything he had not to stare.

"So you don't have cities in the Southern Tribe?" Yue asked curiously as they walked further down the street. She would never tell Sokka this, but she had never been so happy in her life until he asked her to go on a walk through the city. She hadn't had a dull moment yet.

"Well, if you call some igloos and tents a city, then yes," Sokka shrugged and put his hands in his pockets as they crossed as small bridge. The chilly breeze was blowing from the south and warmed the day up slightly. "Otherwise, our little village is nothing."

"It must've been nice," Yue decided. "This gets old sometimes. There are so many people yet it is very dull at times. I love my people but it just doesn't feel right sometimes. I wish I could get away. Live a simple life like you were talking about. It sounds very nice." Yue meant this in all honesty. The city life wasn't always the best. The city never changed. It just grew. The same kind of people inhabited it. They knew no stories about other lands and had ever had any kind of adventure. She wondered what it would be like to have an adventure everyday searching for food or going out into the deep reaches of the terrain. Though she would never know that kind of joy. She was stuck in this place.

"You know what would make you happy?" Sokka asked with a toothy smile, "A visit with my dear friend Appa."

"Oh my gosh!" Yue gasped. Sokka didn't tell her that his friend was a flying bison. Appa roared at Sokka as he petted his head. Appa nuzzled him with his nose and gave him a huge lick. "I think Appa is telling you that you should've visited sooner," Yue laughed as Sokka tried to get Appa to stop licking him.

"Yeah, yeah, I think so too," Sokka complained as Appa finally stopped slobbering all over him. "Aang needs to visit him more too!" Sokka covered for himself. He didn't want to sound like he was the only one neglecting to visit their bison.

"No, just yesterday Katara was complaining that Aang stopped their practice to visit Appa for the tenth time this week. He gives Appa a lot of attention, or so Katara says," Yue told him as she came closer to pet Appa.

Sokka cursed silently. Katara was always ruining something for him even if she didn't know it. "Well then we should spend some time with him. Have you ever flown before?" Sokka asked with a small grin. Of course she has never flown! Appa was one of a kind! Yue shook her head nervously. "Climb on!"

Yue hesitated but then took Sokka's hand and climbed onto Appa. "You know, it's going to be a rough first time flying," Sokka said as she sat down next to him, "Maybe you should hold onto me." Yue glanced up at Sokka nervously and wrapped her arms around his. "Yip yip!"

"Oh my!" Yue squealed as they ascended above the city. The view was breathtaking. Snow glistened like ice on the buildings and the sun was breaking through the clouds in beams. The wind was blowing more in the air and made Yue look even more beautiful. "It's beautiful," Yue breathed.

"You are," Sokka said. His mind was a million miles away but somehow still on Yue who was inches away from him. Sokka and Yue both blushed at his words but she didn't shy away from him. Sokka was suddenly very glad no one could see them above the city.

…..

Aang and Katara had finally made it back to their house and sat down. Aang would never admit it, but he was terribly sore from getting a beating from Katara at practice. Every muscle on his body ache and his head felt like it was splitting. "I hope you enjoyed winning today because it won't happen tomorrow," Aang told her as he laid down on the floor.

"I think that you're full of yourself, Mr. Avatar," Katara frowned and looked out the window, "Didn't we leave Appa here this morning?" They had gotten a house with a large barn-like room for Appa to be comfortable. Only, he wasn't there.

"Yeah, why?" Aang asked stretching out his aching muscles. He saw Katara gazing out of the window with an expressionless face. No, it was more of a thoughtful face. "Is everything okay?" Aang asked sitting up.

"Appa's gone," Katara said never moving.

"He probably just went flying," Aang said making an attempt not to worry, "He doesn't like to be stuck in a room for a long time. He is an airbender after all." Aang's mind was racing. It was possible Appa did just go out for air. It wouldn't be a far stretch to believe.

"Aang," Katara clenched the window seal and try to keep her emotions in and keep a level head. "Come here, and tell me what you see." Katara couldn't believe it. No, she must be going crazy. She did have a long day at practice after all. Spirits, she had a long week with Pakku.

Aang unwillingly got up and walked over to the window where Katara was standing. He looked outside over her head to see what she was talking about. And he saw it. Black snow. "Its soot," Aang gulped.

Aang grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the house and back to Pakku. They had to get the waterbenders together and go to the Chief. Their battle was coming faster than they expected.

…..

Zhao stood on the observation deck looking out at the ocean before him. The sea was calm and they had yet to face any difficulties in their journey. It was as if fate had taken their side already. And fate only had time for the winning side. Zhao smiled as he thought about the upcoming invasion.

"General Iroh, take time to relish in this," Zhao told the old general, pride edging its way into his voice, "In just a few hours time, we will be writing history. I will go down as the war hero who demolished the last great Water Tribe. They will call me Zhao the Great! I will be talked of for centuries!"

Iroh grimaced. The definition of a hero must've changed since he was last General. "Be careful, Zhao," Iroh warned the cocky Admiral, "History is almost never kind to its subjects."

"Yes I am fully aware of your great defeat at Ba Sing Se," Zhao said impatiently. He did not want to listen to the old man's words of 'wisdom' right now. He wanted to start preparing his title as a war hero. "But I assure you General Iroh; history is much kinder to the ones who are destined for greatness. It has no time for failures."

Iroh frowned. "If you'll excuse me Admiral, I need to go take a walk on the warmer parts of the ship. Cold weather is not easy on old joints." Zhao nodded and Iroh slipped into the hallway. He sighed when Zhao was no longer in earshot. There was nothing he disliked more than Zhao.

He walked through the empty hallways on the ship and stopped at the one fire nation soldier pacing the corridor. He paused next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Everything is in order for you tonight. You know what has to be done. Keep your head down and don't draw any attention. Don't be late."

The soldier nodded his head, "Yes, Uncle," and continued down the hallway without another word. Iroh sighed in relief that he was still okay and began trekking back to the observation deck with Zhao.

….

"Sokka we have to hurry back!" Yue said frantically. Sokka was steering Appa back down to the city at the highest speed possible. He could see the ships on the horizon and the soot was falling in with the snow. He shouldn't have brought her up here. Now they were both in danger.

"I know but we can only go so fast!" Sokka told her his voice rising in octaves. He was sure he was supposed to be comforting her or something. He just knew that either Scar Face or Muttonchops was about to make an appearance and he wanted to get back to the city as fast as possible.

"Sokka, you know we can't do this anymore," Yue said quietly as he started to get closer to the city. He looked up at her and looked confused for a moment.

"Well I didn't think flying was that bad," He rubbed the back of his neck out of embarrassment, "I mean I wouldn't want to fly again if we got attacked by crazy fire nation people but I thought it was going pretty well and-"

Yue stopped Sokka from talking. They just landed outside the palace, "I like you too much Sokka, this isn't going to work!" And just as Appa landed, she took off inside the palace. Sokka sighed; what did he do to deserve that? One minute they are having the time of their lives and the next she hates him.

Sokka jumped off of Appa and made his way into the crowd that was gathering in the palace. It seemed that everyone knew what the black snow meant and were ready to fight. Sokka scanned the crowd and found Aang and Katara at the back. He walked over to them trying to keep his cool and not think about Yue who was sitting next to the Chief.

Everyone was beginning to sit down so Aang, Katara and Sokka began to do the same. Chief Arnook stood up to address the warriors and benders of the city, which was nearly almost every citizen minus the women. "The Fire Nation is sailing this way. They are approaching firing distance and will be here very shortly. We need to band together and stand strong against them! So I call on the moon spirit and the ocean spirits to be with us!" the crowd was still silent to acknowledge this, then he continued, "Pakku will lead the resistance force. I need a small group of volunteers for a secret mission. It will be very dangerous and many of you may not return."

Sokka looked up. He knew this is what he had to do. He stood up along with several other men. "Sokka what are you doing?" Katara whispered frantically to her brother, "did you not hear him just say you could die?" She moved to stop Sokka but Aang grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back into him. Sokka looked gratefully at Aang. They met eyes and some understanding passed between them: Some things needed to be done.

Aang nodded to Sokka and he moved forward to the Chief to receive his mark for the mission. Katara struggled to break away from Aang but his hold was too strong. "What are you doing Aang? He's going to get himself killed!" Katara didn't want to admit it but she was worried about her brother. She was concerned about the insufferable, know it all, pain in the butt guy she threatened on a daily basis.

"This is something he thinks he needs to do," Aang said quietly trying to calm her down, "I don't want you to be out there fighting and risking your life but you're going to do it anyway. It's the same thing! He won't be any safer here than he will be on that mission." Katara tried one last attempt to break free but gave up. Deep inside she knew Aang was right. Sokka would be in danger wherever he went.

Sokka walked up to the Chief and waited in the short line to receive the mark for the mission. As he stepped up, the Chief painted a symbol with red paint on his forehead. While he was doing this, Sokka dared to glance at Yue and saw her staring straight ahead. She wasn't even concerned! Sokka took his mark with pride and walked off the stage just in time to miss Yue's small trail of tears.

Aang and Katara walked out to the balcony and stared at the ships on the horizon. Aang stood nearly petrified. This was his first major battle against the fire nation. This is the one that counted. This would be one of his defining moments as Avatar. And even bigger than that, this was the defining moment for the Water Tribe. This could mean life or death for them.

"This is going to be our hardest battle yet," Aang told Katara leaning against the balcony. He watched as black smoke billow on the horizon and soot rained down on the tribe, ruining the pure sparkle of the snow. "A lot is about to change."

"I know," Katara could barely breathe. There were so many ships she could barely count them. "They're here for you. Taking the city is just a perk for them. You have to be careful," Katara said resting her hand on his.

Aang looked down at their hands and felt immense pain, "They know you and Sokka are with me. You'll be targets too. We're all wanted criminals to them. We all have to be careful." Katara nodded and watched as benders and warriors raced down the city and got into battle positions. "I have to go. Find somewhere with a lot of other benders. There's safety in numbers. But don't get into a group with too many. Those are the first targeted. Don't hesitate to defend yourself. Everyone else can handle their own fight. Be safe."

Katara looked up at Aang who, in all understanding, looked scared out his wits. Yet, he looked calm and determined. It was something new for Katara to see. Aang was normally carefree and happy. "Don't do anything stupid and try to be the hero," Katara told him.

"You're the one with the hero complex, Katara," He laughed and pulled her into a hug. Katara smiled as he said her name one last time before the battle. It sounded perfect. "I'll be back, I promise."

"I know," Katara reached up and pecked his lips quickly, "I'll be waiting, Aang." He nodded and walked to Appa who was sitting outside the palace. He smiled at Katara as he mounted Appa and grabbed the reigns.

"Yip yip."

…

Aang sat in awe of how many ships were sailing to the Tribe. He couldn't even count the first few rows without getting completely lost. And to make matters even worse, the ships had those same catapults that shot fire balls. Aang had a sudden flashback to the time he and Katara flew to Roku's temple. And then, for some odd reason, he got the craziest idea.

Aang climbed to the back of the saddle and sifted through his bag. He pulled out the one thing he thought he would never use again: Suki's fan. It would be much easier to use since he had to be fast about destroying the ships and it was much more damaging than his staff.

He steered Appa down to the first ship and jumped down onto the deck. Big, burly men surrounded him with hammers and spears. Aang gulped and pulled out his metal fan. All the guys around him laughed at the girly choice of weapon. "Ha, the boy has a fan!"

Aang grinned. This was perfect! They had no idea that he was about to kick them into next week. Aang airbended the men around him and they all crashed into the wall of the deck. Now that they were out of his way for a moment, he could work on destroying the catapults.

They all relied on a chain and switch, Aang observed. But he was sure chains could be fixed and the metal looked way to thick to airbend cuts into it. So what he did was waterbend tons of water around the catapult and froze it. He stepped back and used the fan to airbend the strongest current he could muster and shot it at the frozen machine.

BAM! The whole things exploded in shards and the force threw Aang back into the icy water. Appa swooped down and picked Aang out of the water. Aang coughed water up and sat on Appa's head trying to catch his breath that the explosion knocked out of him.

He looked down at the ship he was just on and saw it sinking. The explosion put a hole all the way down through the ship's hull and the few waterbenders that were on canoes were racing over to make it sink faster. If Aang could blow up the catapults from Appa, they might just have a chance at destroying the fleet from a safe distance!

….

Arnook stood in front of all of the men who volunteered for the secret mission. His eyes over the few men and sighed. He hoped it would be enough. "You all are here because Pakku and I have devised a mission that needs a group of elite warriors. We are going to infiltrate the lead ship and take out their leader. And these are the uniforms we will use."

A guy about Sokka's age stepped out in the most ridiculous uniform Sokka had ever seen. It even had shoulder pads! "How long ago did you get those? They look centuries old! The army doesn't use shoulder pads anymore. They have uniforms meant for speed and protection, not for show."

Arnook stood shocked for a moment then continued, "We still need to find the leader. Then we can worry about uniforms."

"His name is Zhao," Sokka deadpanned. "Big sideburns. Even bigger ego. About your height. Huge nose. He's an admiral." Sokka crossed his arms and explained the Admiral to the rest of the group.

Arnook gaped at Sokka, "I forget that you've dealt with the fire nation with the Avatar. Sokka, since you have the most up to date experience, I'm putting you at the head of the mission. We are all relying on you."

Sokka nodded but he couldn't escape the look he got from the guy in the fire nation uniform. He grimaced back at him and began to plan their attack with the Chief. At least this would get his mind off of Yue….

….

Zhao had sent out several small boats full of soldiers to penetrate the city and from where he was, he couldn't tell if they were making progress or not. But he was sure his men were trampling over the puny peasants of the city. They had direct orders to retreat after sundown but Zhao was hesitant about this. He wanted to keep the upper hand. He didn't want to give them time to recuperate.

"Zhao we have to retreat now," Iroh warned him, "The moon is almost full and they are going to become too powerful to fight off. I advise you to wait til morning when we will be the strongest."

Zhao nodded, accepting the old man's wisdom, "I know General. I just hate giving them time to rest. I want this to be over soon." Zhao rubbed his chin and was deep in thought. He knew he had to retreat and save his men. That didn't mean he had to be happy about it. "You may want to go to your quarters, General Iroh, and rest up. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Iroh nodded and excused himself. But he wasn't going to bed, he went out in search of his nephew. He nearly raced down the hallways down to the launching deck. He didn't want to miss Zuko.

"Uncle?" Zuko gasped in surprise as his Uncle slipped through the door into the launching deck. He was afraid someone had caught him. He was dressed in off white clothes and they were thicker than anything he had ever worn. He hoped they were enough to ward off the cold.

"Zuko, I am glad I made it in time," Iroh walked over to Zuko who was readying his kayak. "You have to be very careful. The Tribe is going to be on its toes after the attack. Get the Avatar and get out. Use your breath of fire to keep warm. It may save your life. And-"

"Uncle," Zuko interrupted Iroh's rants. The old man smiled in embarrassment. He told himself he wouldn't lecture Zuko and that was just what he was doing. Zuko nodded to his Uncle to let him know it was okay.

"I'm sorry, Zuko," Iroh muttered, "It's just ever since I lost my son, I think of you as my own." Zuko looked down in embarrassment. Even his own father didn't accept him and there stood his Uncle telling him he took the place of his dead cousin. Iroh was always close to his son and Zuko felt almost honored that he saw him as a son.

"You didn't have to say that, Uncle," Zuko said. He was sure Iroh was just telling him that to make him be safe. He couldn't really mean it. But Iroh stepped up and hugged Zuko quickly and stepped back just as fast.

"Be careful Zuko," Iroh told him and with that he slipped back into the hallway to go to his quarters. Zuko smiled at his Uncle. He was a pain at most times and lazy but at least he made Zuko feel worthy of something.

He got in the kayak and lowered himself into the water. The air was colder in the open and Zuko shivered as he started to paddle to the city.

…..

Aang got on his glider and flew back to the city, letting Appa go back home to rest. He assessed the damage and saw it was terrible at the wall. Men were retreating back to their ships and leaving the wall in ruins. Aang noticed waterbenders were being healed by the healers but Katara wasn't among either of them.

He held his breath as he went to the palace. He hoped that is where Katara was. And just as he was beginning to worry, he saw Yue and Katara on the same balcony as before. He flew down and landed next to her.

Katara smiled as Aang stood next to her once again. She pulled him into a quick hug and relished in the fact that he was still alive. From the wall where she was fighting, she could see explosions going off and water flying everywhere. She was surprised he looked okay. "Sit down," Katara instructed him.

He nodded and sunk down onto the cold ground and leaned against the balcony railings. "I took out at least twenty ships but there were so many. I couldn't get them all. There are so many…" Aang leaned his head back and sighed. He was exhausted and was sore beyond belief.

"Are you hurt?" Katara asked out of habit. Yue stood off to the side and watched as Katara inspected the young Avatar. Surprisingly, he made it out with only a few bruises and cuts. Yue couldn't help but be impressed with how well he could fight and defend himself.

"No," Aang sighed and closed his eyes, "Just tired. It was a lot of work destroying the first fleet of ships." Katara nodded and sat down next to him. Yue remained standing, her mind elsewhere.

"You know the moon and the ocean are said to be the first waterbenders," Yue began quietly, "History says our people saw how they pushed and pulled the water and learned to do the same. The ocean is always waterbending and yet it never grows weary. It's a strange thought." Aang just stared at Yue not knowing what to make of her small speech.

But something in Katara's mind clicked. Her conversation with Jeong Jeong came flooding back. The spirits! That was it! Maybe they could help Aang with defeating the fire nation! Maybe this is what he was talking about. "Maybe you should meditate and ask the spirit's for help."

"And I have just the place," Yue smiled and offered them both a hand up. They both accepted and followed the princess. "This is said to be the most spiritual place in the North Pole. But I can't imagine a more serene place on earth." Yue told them as she pushed open a door.

Aang was the first one in and it took his breath away. "There's grass in here! Oh I never thought I would miss this nasty green stuff!" he laughed as he rolled around in the grass. Aang rolled over something and stopped. "Momo?" he asked. And sure enough, there was the little lemur stuffing his face with grass. He was bloated and Aang could tell he had been here for quite a while.

Yue and Katara laughed at the sight and walked through the spirit oasis. It was a small round area with one tree and a small pond in the middle of it. It was surrounded by an ice wall by somehow grass grew throughout the ground. "It's so warm," Katara said shedding her parka.

Yue did the same and they threw their parkas on the ground by the tree. They were left in their everyday clothes that consisted of long sleeves and pants. Aang sat down under the tree in front of the pond and crossed his legs, "It does feel pretty spiritual in here."

…

Sokka was sharpening his boomerang for luck and sat with the Chief. "Do you think this will work, Sokka?" Arnook was skeptical about the whole plan. He thought it would be wise to attack tonight but Sokka told him that they would be expecting that and that it would be smarter to put off the real attack until tomorrow.

"Of course," Sokka said with the upmost confidence. Sokka grimaced as he saw Hahn around a group of warriors laughing about something. He was sure they were laughing at him and his face began to heat up.

Arnook looked back at Hahn and the group of men. "You'll have to excuse him. He thinks because he is my future son in law that he is superior to many people. I'm not proud to say this but I can't really do anything to stop it. It'll die down, Sokka."

His eyes shot wide open. Hahn was the guy engaged to Yue? He shook his head. He wasn't supposed to care anymore. Yue didn't care about him after all. So he definitely shouldn't care about her. "I'm fine. I just want to work out these last kinks in the plan. We can't draw too much attention but I need to get to the bridge. He's bound to be there."

…..

Zuko panted as he broke the surface of the water. He had to swim under bridges and sewers to get to this point. He had no idea where he was in the city but he could feel he was getting close to the Avatar. He let out a small breath of fire to warm him up and continued his trek to find the Avatar.

….

"Does he do this a lot?" Yue asked Katara as they stood behind Aang. It was pretty awkward to sit and watch him but they had nothing else to do.

"In the mornings sometimes or when he gets really stressed," Katara told the princess. Aang had been meditating more frequently while learning bending. He had told her that it was a popular practice with the monks when they were learning bending. He said that it was spiritual (bending) and that it helped him get closer to it. She just nodded and told him to have fun with that.

"Oh," Yue glanced around. They stood in an awkward silence for a moment. "So I wondering, this is a crazy question, but is the Avatar a good kisser? I mean he has all those past lives so he has centuries of experience…"

"I can hear everything you're saying!" Aang said from the ground. The girls blushed and pretended to not hear him. Katara looked away from Aang and decided not to answer her question yet.

Aang blushed and tried to focus again. He looked in the pond and tried to regain composure. And there he saw too fish circling each other. There was one black fish with a white spot and a white fish with a black spot. And before he knew it…he was gone.

"He's gone into the spirit world," Katara gasped. Yue nodded as she watched his tattoos glow and he went rigid. "And yes he's a very good kisser." The girls giggled and blushed. Katara felt like a normal teenage girl for once hanging out with Yue.

"Isn't that sweet," a voice said from behind her. Katara whipped around and saw her worst fears confirmed. It was the banished prince, Zuko. He was dripping wet and bruised. Katara gasped and got into a waterbending stance. Yue ran to find help. Zuko paid her no mind. He only had one person in mind.

"What are you doing here, Zuko?" Katara half yelled. She knew well what he was doing here. He was here to take Aang. And that was one thing Katara wasn't going to let happen.

He paced closer and smiled at the girl, "You know my name? How nice. Too bad I don't know yours peasant; it would be nice to address you properly before I take you beloved Avatar. I'm sure he would love that. He wouldn't want me to mistreat you."

Katara, using the water from the oasis, water whipped Zuko across the face. He growled and shot a fire ball at her which she gracefully avoided. She threw up an ice wall as he sent more fire her way.

Zuko burned past the wall and rushed towards her. She nearly tripped over Aang to get out of the way. Aang…that is who she was fighting for. And she had to win! She sent a wave of water at Zuko and sent him flying back several feet. He landed on the ground with a moan. But Katara didn't stop there. She took all the water she could handle and surround Zuko with it; crisscrossing her arms and the water making the biggest ice cage/ball she had ever seen.

Zuko growled from inside the cage, "You filthy peasant. I'm surprised you found a master to teach you. I didn't think anyone but the Avatar could handle the stench of peasant." Katara trembled with fury as he started to melt the ice around him. She was going to kill him for saying that. "And it's too bad all your practice was in vain."

And with that, the balled up ice cage exploded and the force of it sent Katara crashing into the tree. She grunted as her head hit first and her body followed. Zuko staggered up and limped towards the Avatar. He grabbed Aang and rested him on his shoulders in a fireman hold. "Filthy peasant," Zuko spit in her direction. "You may rise with the moon but I rise with the sun."

Katara couldn't move but she was screaming inwardly with all of her might as Zuko disappeared from sight with Aang. "No…" her last sight was seeing the sun barely rise and the sky lighting up in a beautiful shade of grey.

….

Zhao stood watching the sunrise. It was time to attack once again. The sky was still a shade of grey and the sun wouldn't be up for a good thirty minutes but that gave his crew plenty of time to prepare. They couldn't afford to lose a single minute of sunlight.

"Are you ready, General Iroh, to write history?" Zhao laughed as they sailed closer to the Tribe, "We will stomp these worthless peasants into the ice from which they came from. They will bow before us. We are their superiors and they will soon find out why."

Iroh frowned as he watched the Admiral laugh. They were certainly going to write some sort of history. But he wasn't sure if he wanted his name to go down in this one.

….

Yue flew back into the oasis on Appa. There was no one available to help at the palace since everyone was busy preparing for battle so she took the only being available: Appa. She was suddenly very glad that Sokka showed her how to fly on him. Her chest tightened and she pushed out all thoughts of him as she landed Appa in the oasis.

"Katara!" she jumped off Appa and ran to her friend. She was propped up against the tree clearly unconscious. "Katara wake up!" Yue shook the waterbender praying to every spirit the fire nation man didn't kill her.

"He took Aang," were the first words to leave her lips. She trembled and Yue's stomach tightened. She looked back and there was indeed no Avatar sitting by the pond. She felt ashamed for not noticing sooner.

"We're going to get him, Katara," Yue told her gently. "Can you get up?" Katara nodded and she stood up with Yue's assistance. "You need to heal yourself. There's blood all over head. Here the water should be fine to use."

Katara staggered over to the oasis and waterbended the water into her hand and moved it to her head. The feeling that spread through her body could not be explained. It was shocking what the water could do. She was healed faster than she thought possible and able to stand on her own.

Katara looked up to the sky and noticed dark clouds were moving in fast. "There's a blizzard coming in," She told Yue and jogged over to Appa. "We need to move fast." She climbed up to his head and sat down with the reigns. But Yue wasn't following. "Aren't you coming?"

"No," Yue said sadly, "My duty is to my people. I am more of a use here for inspiration than out in battle. I will only slow you down. You can handle this Katara." Katara's eyebrows drew together. She could tell Yue was making an excuse for something but didn't want to be rude and confront the princess on it.

Katara nodded and accepted her excuse. "Goodbye Yue. Be careful." Yue told her the same as Katara flew away on Appa. She looked up to the sky. A blizzard was indeed coming but not towards the city. It was over the outskirts in the depths of the snow drifts. That would be exactly where Zuko would escape to.

…..

Zuko hauled Aang over his shoulder once again. He was only a year younger than Zuko but he seemed to weight much more. He grunted as tried to make it through the snow. It was past his knees and he was having many troubles walking. Stupid Avatar. That is who he blamed. He blamed him for the cold air. He blamed him for his banishment. He blamed him for everything wrong in his life. But that would soon change when the Avatar gained him back his honor.

…..

Yue looked at the spirit oasis again. The pond was calling to her. She was transfixed on the small body of water. She inched closer to it.

She could tell something was wrong. She took in a deep breath and moved ever so slightly closer. It called to her stronger. She tried to ignore it but she knew it was calling to her. She knew something had to be done.

She thought of Sokka. She wished she could let him fight for her. But he left and she knew she would never see him again, even if he survived. She shed a tear and tried to hold back the rest. She was so close to the water that her tear fell into it. The small drop of water sent ripples along the pond.

She stepped into the water and was shocked by how warm it was. It was still was her movements caused no ripples to break on the surface. She bent down to skim her fingertips over the surface. Still no ripples.

She walked further into the water until it was up to her hips. The warm water flowed around her gracefully. She sighed. She felt…perfect. She felt like she belonged right here in the water. She looked up at the moon and felt a strange desire to be there too.

She continued to gaze up. She had known her duty was too her tribe. She knew she had to do what was right. But she wished she could have one thing she desperately wanted: Sokka. And this was her last fleeting thought before the water engulfed her and drug her down to it seemingly endless depths…

**Hmmmm….not as good as I expected but the next one should be amazing. I hope. Just ignore the mistakes. I was a bit rushed and I had so much going on in my mind I couldn't write fast enough. So review and tell me what you thought. I would really appreciate it. I also have a facebook page under my pen name. I post sneak peeks of chapters and stuff. So you could like that. That would be amazing. So until next week faithful readers!**


	18. The Seige of the North Part 2

**Epic season finale? I sure hope so. I wanted everything to be perfect. God I sure hope it turns out good…I even teared up a bit for a minute there. Curse you hormones! Just like to thank everyone who helped me get this far and give me great ideas, suggestions and support. And thank you to everyone who reviewed! It has inspired me to move on to season two after this! **

The sun was starting to peak above the horizon. Sokka suited up and put on the treacherous red suits. He felt tainted just slipping into the clothing and armor. He felt as if he was being a traitor to everything he stood for. But he knew that pretending to be a soldier is what the mission called for. And he knew he had a duty to serve.

He watched with distaste as Hahn suited up next to him. The cocky teenager had put Sokka at the butt end of all his jokes and was being downright cruel but he was going on the mission regardless. Sokka figured that being the Chief's soon to be son in law had its perks. He shuddered and pushed back all the thoughts of _her_ that were sure to come flooding in after that.

He had a mission to lead. He had men to inspire. He had battles to be won. Love had no place in war for Sokka today.

….

Aang crashed down into warm water and the feeling engulfed him. He didn't feel pain as he hit his elbow on a tree root. He spit out the murky water that entered his mouth and he stood up. He expected water to be rolling off him but he noticed that it didn't stick to him like it did in the normal world.

He choked back fear as he realized he didn't know where he was. He had never entered the spirit world in this sense. Swamp surrounded him and everything had a brownish tent to it. There was an eerie silence around him and he couldn't even hear animals moving around.

Aang sloshed thru the water and attempted to find some sense of direction so he could get what he came for. He knew he was short on time and time passed by in the blink of an eye here. But he knew he couldn't allot that much time here.

Aang stopped in the middle of the water. The trees around him didn't have many branches or leaves for that matter. Without airbending, he couldn't climb up them a get a vantage point. He groaned in annoyance. Nothing could go right, could it?

"I really need some help," Aang admitted with a sigh. He leaned against a tree and crossed his arms in frustration. He needed to develop a plan. But he wasn't the one for plans. That was Sokka's job!

"That's what I am here for, Aang," Roku said in his usual fatherly tone. Aang jumped in surprise as the Avatar before him materialized in fire nation robes and long white hair. "Now what is it that I can help you with?"

"I'm kind of in a hurry, Roku," Aang said trying to explain everything in short, "The Water Tribe is under attack and they're going to be overpowered unless I do something. I came here to seek out the ocean and moon spirits since they are said to watch over the tribe. Where can I find them?"

Roku paused and thought for a moment. Aang was crushed by the silence engulfing him in the wait. "The moon and ocean spirit are ancient. They left the spirit world and left for the mortal world long ago. Only one spirit old enough remains to know where they would be."

Aang jumped at the opportunity, well aware of his time slowly winding down, "Where can I find him? I need to go now!" Aang stood before Roku nearly begging. Everyone was counting on him again and he couldn't fail this time.

"You need to be cautious, Aang, this spirit is very dangerous," Roku said wearily. He knew this would be a hard challenge for Aang, "His name is Koh. He is better known as the Face Stealer." Aang was hoping this was only a misnomer because this was not sounding good for him. "When you enter his lair, be very calm. Be emotionless. If he senses any emotion in you at all, he will steal your face. He would want nothing more."

Aang nodded now practicing to control his emotions. An entire civilization was riding on his abilities. He knew it had to be done. "Thank you, Roku."

He nodded in response, "I will get you there. Good luck, Aang." Before he could even mutter and 'thank you' Roku closed his eyes and Aang felt his body leave that part of the swamp.

….

Zuko repositioned the Avatar on his back. The snow was now thigh high and rapidly falling. Zuko trudged on. Nothing was going to stop him now. He had the Avatar! He had accomplished everything he had dreamed of for years! It was all so close…

He paused mid thought. He couldn't start thinking like that. He needed to survive this storm first. He needed to get to the fire nation. But he had no plan. The only thing in his racing mind was finding shelter to put down the heavy teenager on his numb back.

He bet his sister, Azula, was sitting in a warm room in the Fire Nation. His father had told him before she was born lucky. She was pampered. She was waited on hand a foot. She was beautiful. She was talented. She was everything Zuko could not be.

He was lucky to be born.

That's what his father told him. Even then, his father knew he wouldn't amount to much. He knew he would be a disgrace. But this is why he fought. He was getting stronger out here. He was rising above all their expectations and becoming a better man. He was better than them.

Zuko paced himself. He put one foot in front of the other and slowly made his way forward. Any progress was going to have to be good enough. Left, right, left, right.

Left….Zuko paused and listened. He could've sworn he heard something. Right. He stopped again. Even above the raging wind, he knew he had heard something. "What…" And then the sound was getting louder. Then, it hit him. He was on ice and it was cracking!

His foot suddenly dipped into the cold water underneath and he sprinted for dear life. He wished the Avatar on his back was lighter because it was getting impossible to run. His feet started to break more ice and the cracks were spreading like a web. He panted and ran. He ran and ran. He couldn't stop. The wind was stinging his face and his muscle ached with a new fire.

From where he was at, he would have to clear another hundred yards before getting out of the ice. It was impossible. Zuko wasn't going to make it.

His honor was going to die with him.

….

Zhao watched the rising sun. He gave the order to attack about thirty minutes ago. By that time, all of his men could gather their weapons, sail out to the wall and begin their attack. And this had been executed perfectly.

"I don't think I need to remind you once again that we are on a time limit," Iroh began once again. He could not stress the point out enough to Zhao. "The full moon is tonight. If we don't win by that time, the Water Tribe will over power us."

"Yeah, General Iroh, I am well aware of this," Zhao said through gritted teeth. He was not a child. He could comprehend what Iroh was saying the first time. "I do have a plan. The moon won't be a factor if I have anything to do with it."

"What are you saying, Zhao?" Iroh said darkly. He knew what the Admiral meant by his statement. Iroh had journeyed into the spirit world once before and he knew much about spirits and their role. He just couldn't believe someone like Zhao would figure things out.

"I am saying that I'm going to remove the moon. I will kill it, destroy it, annihilate it, whatever sounds most appropriate," Zhao sneered. Iroh looked away from the Admiral, "I found a map in an underground library full of extensive knowledge. I also found out that the moon and ocean spirits are here on earth with us. And this map leads me right to them to somewhere called the spirit oasis."

But there was one person who could not look away. Sokka held his breath as he listened. Only twenty minutes ago did he make it onto the ship with his partners in the mass chaos. And now he hears this! He had to tell someone.

Careful to make no noise at all, he slipped into the hallway and walked briskly to find one of his partners on the mission. He needed someone to relay information in case Sokka couldn't stop Zhao. They had designated spots to be safe areas where they could meet anytime in the day. Thankfully someone was in the one right up the hallway.

Sokka put a hand on his shoulder and they both lifted up their masks. Sokka grimaced; the person in front of him was Hahn. "You need to get off the ship and warn Pakku of an attack on the spirits…"

"Shut up, Trash, and don't touch me," Hahn shrugged off his hand. Sokka's teeth clenched tighter and he restrained from punching the guy in the face. "I don't take your orders. Just because Arnook thinks you're smart doesn't mean anything to me. You're probably just trying to get me off the mission so you get the glory for yourself."

"I just heard Zhao talking!" Sokka whispered frantically, "You'll be the hero if you go back carrying news that could save the tribe."

Hahn thought about it for a minute and smiled. He would tell everyone he heard about the leader killing spirits and he stepped up to fight against him in the Tribe. Everyone would see him take down the Admiral, "Keep talking."

…..

As soon as Aang blinked, he was in front of a cave. Only, it wasn't just a cave. It was a seventy degree angled cave that was pitch black. It was almost like a burrow only more intimidating. He took a steadying breath and moved forward into the dark.

'Remain emotionless', Aang reminded himself. Getting his face stolen wasn't high on his list of things to do. He descended into the darkness, almost prepared for what he was about to face. He didn't know what a face stealer would look like but he was sure it wouldn't be pretty.

He finally stopped walking down into the infinite darkness. For some reason, it was lighter down here though he couldn't see the light above and he couldn't find a light source. He decided that it must've been a spirit thing. "Uh, hello?" Aang called.

"Hello, Avatar," a deep voice called. The voice was chilling to the bone. Aang shivered just hearing it. It was creepy but he could hear a smooth persuasion in it. It was as if the stealer was trying to call him in like a siren.

"Hello, Koh," Aang answered back. He couldn't see much around him and his eyes were quickly adjusting. He wished it would just remain dark so he didn't have to see the spirit. Aang began to hyperventilate. Not seeing the spirit was starting to make him nervous.

"To what do I owe the great pleasure of seeing _another_ Avatar?" Koh asked almost sarcastically. But his voice never edged. It was still smooth and deep, still encouraging Aang to give away his face.

"You've met me before?" Aang asked curiously. He knew he didn't have time to sit and chat but he figured getting on the guy's good side would do him more good than anything.

"Yes, you tried to kill me," Koh said with slight menace in his voice. Aang wanted to flinch. He wanted to run away and hide from this monster. But he couldn't…. "The story is an old one. I stole the face of someone you loved. It didn't work out well for you…but rest assured, that shouldn't happen again. Now what do you need young Avatar?"

Aang was still desperately searching the dark for the source of the voice, "I need to find the moon and ocean spirits. An entire tribe is relying on me to find them. We are in danger. We need their help."

"It is quite the other way around, Avatar," Aang was straining his eyes now. The voice was coming from all directions. It was unnerving. He needed to see this spirit before he went insane. "Some is going to kill them!" the spirit roared and appeared in front of Aang. His face was white, he had black eyes with a gray circles around them, and red lips. He had the body of an overgrown centipede.

Aang tried so hard not to flinch. His straining in the dark put the face right in front of him. It made it ten times worse. But he manage to stay composed. He took in a deep breath, "What do you mean?"

"The moon and ocean have always circled in an eternal dance. They balance each other. Tui and La are their names. Push and pull. Good and evil. This is their nature," Aang flashed back to the spirit oasis. The fish were the spirits! That's why the oasis was so spiritual! "We are not the only ones who know this. Someone is going to use this to their advantage. The effects would be devastating to all the nations."

"That's all I need to know, thank you, Koh," Aang bowed respectfully to the Face Stealer. His face changed to a beautiful woman who resembled Katara. He felt a strange familiarity in the face.

"Do come again, Avatar," Koh said with a sinister chuckle. Aang moved from his bow and hurried back up the cave. Aang panted and bent over as he stopped his sprint. He was back at the surface of the spirit world.

"Roku, I need to get back to the real world!" Aang yelled to the air. He looked around and saw no one answer him. Where was this old guy when you actually needed him? Aang began to walk further but he felt his body snap forward. Aang fought the urge to scream in case the Face Stealer was back for his face.

Before he knew it, he was at the gate that separated the two worlds. As he stepped through, he thought he heard Roku say, "Good luck, Aang…"

…..

Hours ago, the wall was breached at the Water Tribe. Defenseless families were running away from the fighting and trying to seek safety. Waterbenders were trying their best to ward off incoming soldiers and firebenders. But they were just too outnumbered.

Zhao watched this all happen with a cruel smile on his face. Sun down was coming soon and things were shaping well for them. With his plan, there would be no more watertribe anymore. "It is almost time, General Iroh," Zhao told the old general.

"Yes, Admiral, I still think we should make our attack soon, I do not want things to take a sore tide. Waves have no respect for their inhabitants," Iroh told him.

"I honestly don't understand a word you say sometimes, Iroh," Zhao shook his head, "That one didn't even make sense. Either way, we do need to proceed with caution. Their strength will be coming back soon."

Sokka lowered his head and charged forward silently. He drew his machete over his head and prepared to strike at the Admiral. But Zhao only smiled and turned to meet the warrior. He sidestepped his attack and Sokka forced himself to stop and face him.

"It's almost insulting how they send such inept assassins," Zhao shook his head while getting into his stance. Sokka gulped and held his machete still. Everything was riding on his sneak attack. He didn't even scream this time!

"We'll see about that when I kick your ass," Sokka said making sure to tune out his shaking voice. He had never been so nervous. He was standing in front of the man he made fun of for weeks. Now, he was starting to regret it.

"Too bad the Avatar isn't here to do it for you, Southern Trash," Zhao sneered as he firebended at the young warrior. Sokka ducked and swung his machete. Zhao dodge the attack and continued to send fireballs.

Sokka barrel rolled to the other end of the observation deck and tried to devise a plan of attack. Zhao was sending fire at him like crazy and all Sokka could do was roll in circles to try to avoid it.

"Fight back you peasant!" Zhao called. He was going to enjoy toying with this inexperienced warrior. He was the Avatar's friend after all. That counted for something. It would certainly make the Avatar mad.

Sokka held up his machete and started to run at the Admiral but was stopped by an arm. The person redirected his momentum and sent him flying over the railing. "Poor boy…" He heard the old man mutter.

Sokka's limbs were flailing but he couldn't feel anything. He felt numb falling down towards the water. He braced for impact. He knew this would hurt. The ship wasn't that tall but falling from that height would be a painful trip.

And before he could even scream, water surrounded him. The icy depths were trying to drag him under and hold him for their own. He tried with all his power to swim up but his limbs wouldn't respond. He didn't have much air left and the temperature was starting to make his sight blurry.

This was it. He could only hope his message got out in time. He could only hope his sister and Aang were safe. He could only hope he would be remembered.

Zhao watched without interest as the boy fell through the air and crashed into the deep, icy water. He wouldn't survive that sea. The Avatar's friend was as good as gone. "Ready to go fishing, Iroh? Nothing like a nice trip to lighten up the stench of genocide."

Iroh reluctantly nodded. He watched the boy go down and prayed to every spirit he would be okay. Iroh only threw him down because he figured it would be better to the boy to let him drown rather than burn to death. It was only mercy on his part.

He just hoped the boy fell to his death and nothing worse. Death would be much kinder than to live and experience what was about to happen.

…..

Katara shivered as the storm worsened. The blizzard raged on despite her pleading with every spirit for it to slack up. Snow pelted her face and the wind that cut through her was ice. She couldn't see beyond her nose and her eyes burned from the cold.

She pulled her parka closer and braved through the cold. Aang needed to be found. Not only did she need him, and entire tribe was counting on him. She could never live with herself if the tribe crumpled to the Fire Nation because she wasn't good enough to hold off the banished prince of the nation. She couldn't let it end this way.

She had been searching for hours and the storm was only getting worse out here. She was so far away from the village that she was worried she wouldn't be able to get back. If she couldn't find Aang, there wouldn't be much to fight for back at the tribe. Their fight will have been lost without the Avatar.

She sighed. She couldn't give up. All she had left was her thread of hope. That's all she could cling to. She longed to know that Aang and her brother were okay. Part of her told her she was being overdramatic but the other part of her told her that this was how it had to be. This was war after all.

She was almost too lost in her thoughts to see a bright flash of light. It appeared out of nowhere and lit up the gray sky. It was more like a beam and it was traveling at high speed to a position north of her.

And then she saw it. It was a lake that was previously covered in ice. Something must've crushed it because the ice was shattered and the icy water exposed. No…not something, someone! Zuko must've been out here. He must have been the one to break the ice and reveal the lake! He has Aang!

Fearing the worst, Katara descended down to the other edge of the lake and prayed for the best. That was Aang down there. If anything happened….

That would be the end for them all.

…..

Aang woke up with a start. The first thing he noticed was the freezing cold. He immediately knew something was wrong. The spirit oasis was warm….he opened his eyes and gazed around. His arms were bound as well as his legs and he was lying in a bed of snow.

Aang sat up and looked around. There was this huge lake a few feet away from him. But there was nothing else left out there but snow. "Help!" he heard a voice call. Aang looked around and saw nothing. He scooted closer to the edge and saw someone disappear down into the dark water.

Aang didn't even think about whom it could be, he just looked down at his ropes. There was no way he was getting out of them. He thought for half a second then took a deep breath and let it out. Using waterbending, he froze a section of the ropes, and then used all of his force to push them off. The rope section shattered and he could move again.

He pushed the ropes off and dove straight into the water. It was a shock how cold it was. He could feel his skin crawl and prickle and his vision blur. He fought on and swam deeper looking for the person who went under.

And there he was. He was limp and sinking like a rock. Aang swam faster and grabbed him so one arm was around his chest. Aang, using his other hand, waterbended them up and out of the water.

They landed on the ice and Aang let the mysterious person go. He got to his knees and waterbended the water off of him and the other person. If only he could firebend well enough to make a flame for warmth. He had to settle for shivering.

The person next to him started sputtering out water and leaned to the side to cough it all up. Aang pretended not to know how the person was until they finished coughing their lungs up. He couldn't believe he just saved his worst enemy. But he couldn't just let him die…

"I'm not going to ask why we're out here," Aang began in a hesitant voice, "But I know we can't make it out without each other. We need to get out fast and get back to tribe or we will both die."

Zuko finished coughing and faced Aang, "You should've let me die." Aang flinched at how sincere his words were. "We're going to die out here. At least you wouldn't have to worry about another person. You could've just got back to the Tribe on your own. You always pull something like that off." Zuko would never tell Aang he threw him off his back when he knew he was going to fall in. He chose to save Aang's life instead of his own. He knew his plan was failing and at least the Avatar would kill Zhao and complete Zuko's life for him.

"I wasn't going to let you die," Aang said with finality, "now are you going to let yourself die out here or are you going to let yourself die out here?" Zuko studied the Avatar. He couldn't turn down the person who saved his life. Well, he could. He had done much worse before.

As soon as Zuko opened his mouth to respond, something roared and a foot made contact with the side of his face.

Katara had landed with Appa, jumped off, and drop kicked him in the face. Then, she waterbended him up into a column and sent him crashing down. He would now be unconscious and out of her way. "Aang!"

Aang stood up and embraced her. "We have to hurry up and get back to the tribe. No time to explain." Aang let her go and went over to Zuko. He threw him over his shoulder and grabbed the remaining rope and set him on Appa's saddle to tie him up.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked as she too climbed on. Aang told Appa to fly back to the tribe and finished tying Zuko down. "He just kidnapped you and almost killed the both of you out here!"

"He'll die out here," Aang said as they were flying through the harsh blizzard. "I'm not going to let someone die if I can do something about it." Aang moved to the edge of the saddle and tried to catch his breath. It was cold and he was shivering. Cold normally didn't bother him but he was too tired to warm the air around him with bending.

Katara moved over to him and pulled him into an embrace sensing how could he was. "As much as I would like to throw him over the saddle," Katara began with a frown in her voice, "I don't think it would be right to let him die either. I'm sure much worse will happen if he faces the Chief after the battle."

Aang nodded and bathed in her warmth. He was still shivering and adrenaline was starting to leave his body. He was going to crash soon. "A lot is about to happen…"

…..

Zhao marched thru the city on his rhino and followed his map to the oasis. The moon was now rising and the sun down. Tides were starting to turn in the battle but he knew it wouldn't be for long. He was about to change that forever.

No one offered any resistance to his victory march up the city. They all had their own battles to fight. Zhao grinned. Even with the full moon coming up, his men could hold their own for a while.

Fate was on their side indeed.

He made it up the city and found what he was looking for. It was one wooden door and it led to the spirit oasis. He smiled as he opened the door after getting off his rhino. This was it. This was his moment. He was writing his own history!

He walked right up to the water's edge and looked down at the two fish. He felt pity for them. Even if one of them was dying, the other one would suffer too. He would be forever out of balance and alone. Zhao soon got over his pity and plucked the white fish from the water and stuffed it into a bag.

The moon turned a blood red and it splattered the horizon and city with the red light. It had an ominous glow to it. He laughed aloud and held the thrashing fish in the bag. "I am Zhao the unconquerable! Who will stand against the great Moon Slayer?!"

….

Sokka broke the surface of the water again and caught his breath. He hadn't been in the water long but the water was at high tide because of the full moon and the waves were impossible to tread. He spit out a mouthful of water and gasped for breath. If he stayed in the water much longer he knew he wouldn't survive.

He thought he broke his arm in the fall and possibly fractured his leg. But he found a piece of drifting ice and clung onto that for dear life with his other arm. He was going to die out here and he knew it. No one could survive like this.

A tear escaped down his face. His pain was becoming imbearable. His muscles were cramping, his broken bones ached and his skin was numb with cold. His teeth clattered and his fire nation clothes weighed him down.

"Please, someone help me," Sokka gasped. He knew no one could possibly hear him. He was alone fighting the raging waves and spitting out salt water. Soon, he would have to give up. He couldn't fight forever.

"Sokka," A heavenly voice sighed. Sokka was sure if a voice sounded that heavenly they should at least sound a little more enthusiastic. "Look at me, Sokka." Sokka obeyed and looked up through tear brimmed eyes. Whoever it was could not see him a broken mess.

Then, he was gazing at the most beautiful being ever. It was Yue. Her white hair was long and flowing. Her body let off a spiritual glow and she floated above the water. But as beautiful as she looked, she looked downcast. Sokka vowed to destroy whatever it was that was making her this upset. "Yue," he breathed.

"This isn't how it should be, Sokka," Yue said sadly. Sokka could only nod and agreed silently. His voice would only betray him and ruin his last moments. He must be nearing death to be having hallucinations. "But it has to happen. I am destined to become the moon. The moon gave me life when I was born still. It is time for me to give it back," Sokka had no words. He didn't know what to say to make anything better. This was it. There was nothing.

"What happened? I thought we were friends, I liked you and you're just going to turn into the moon? Just like that? What about your friends and family? Your leaving everyone you love," Sokka whispered the last part, "You're leaving me."

"Things are going to change now. We have to go our separate ways for good now. This is the last thing I can do for you," She paused before adding, "It's too painful to think otherwise. Anything else would be a punishment. You will find happiness Sokka. I will make sure of that. Good luck, Sokka." Sokka never thought he had seen a sight worse than this: an angel silently crying and yearning for something other than heaven, "I love you, Sokka." Her angelic eyes bore into his and they shimmered with tears. Her perfect, shining and mesmerizing eyes would no longer meet his.

Sokka breathed her name again, "Yue," before her image began to shimmer. "I love you, too," He choked out. As her figure diminished, he could have sworn he saw a smile. It was only a fraction of one, but it had to be there. It gave him a hope. His first love was becoming the moon. She was going to see him forever. Watch over him for his whole life. And someone out there would always love him and wish the best for him. Even in this hellish situation.

And before he could feel anymore sorry for himself or go back under water, a strong current came crashing towards him. "Ahhh!" the ice he was gripping on rose with the wave and he rode on all the way to the shore. This was Yue's last favor for him. This was her goodbye. It was to give him life and another chance.

As he tumbled onto the shore and jarred his injuries, the only thing he could manage to think was:

The spirits could at least be a little more graceful and help him with landings.

…

Zhao held up the thrashing bag in victory! "Yes!" he laughed again and praised himself. But someone in that small oasis had other thoughts. The small lemur jumped onto the Admiral's head and attacked his muttonchops and eyes. "GET IT OFF!"

Zhao swatted at the lemur and tried to get it detached from his face, "You heard him, get off Momo." Aang smiled as his lemur flew back to him. He knew it had been a good idea to keep the pesky little lemur. "You have to stop this, Zhao; you don't know what you're doing!"

Zhao grimaced as clenched the bag tighter, "I know very well what I am doing! I am ending this battle and gaining a tremendous victory for my nation!"

Iroh stepped out of the shadows and faced the other side of Zhao, away from the Avatar, "He is right, Zhao. Killing the spirit hurts all nations. We all rely on the moon. You have no idea what you are doing!"

"I will kill it now to prove to you I know exactly what I am doing! I am killing this peasant nation and bringing glory to mine!" Zhao put his clenched fist next to the bag for emphasis. He would kill the fish in a heartbeat. "But I don't expect any less from a traitor."

"I will unleash on you tenfold what you do to that spirit, Zhao!" Iroh yelled, "PUT IT DOWN!" Aang watched as the two officers battled it out with their words under the red moon. Katara was next to Aang praying it didn't come to fight because she knew her waterbending would be gone.

Zhao laughed and raised his hand and send a blazing fire to the captive fish. Everyone expected the fish to just die. No, that didn't happen. It's because no one noticed that one white spot on the bottom of the moon. That one piece changed it all.

The fish repelled most of the fire, sending it back ten times as powerful. Fire illuminated the oasis and it was redder than the reflection of the moon. Heat could be felt all the way to every corner. And only Zhao faced it. Fire engulfed Zhao and he dropped the fish into the water. No one could watch as his skin burned and he screamed in agony. Katara ran to the other side of the oasis and vomited from the scene. The moon went black as the fish had no choice but to die. Again, only one spot could be seen to serve as a reminder of what the moon actually looked like. That one stray beam cast light into the oasis.

Aang and Iroh couldn't move. They dared to glance back up as the Admiral fell into the oasis. It glowed the spiritual white and the waves churned. Iroh watched in amazement as a spirit drug the burnt Zhao down in the water and led him out to sea where he would face the wrath of the spirits and die.

Aang couldn't watch. Though it wasn't because he was disgusted. It was because his past lives took over. His eyes and tattoos lit up and he stepped into the same water Zhao was just dragged under into. It once again lit up and Aang disappeared with a flash and raced down the water system.

Iroh went over to Katara and helped the poor girl up. After she got over her wave of sickness, she was able to stand again and walk back over to the pond. She couldn't believe what she just saw. It was the most gruesome thing she had ever experienced.

"I don't know what happened but the fish seems to be slowly healing itself. I think the spirits want the Avatar to end this now since he left right after Zhao," Iroh told her as they watched the fish begin to faintly glow.

Katara had heard Yue's story before. She knew about her still birth and how her father pleaded with the spirits to let her live. A part of the moon had to be in her. She must've sacrificed herself to save the fish.

Katara let a stray tear escape her. Her first real girl friend had died to save them all. She couldn't think a more noble and honorable death.

"Thank you, Yue…"

…..

The water around the Avatar glowed a bright blue, just like the ocean on a bright summer day. He formed the water around him to make a giant, standing Kio fish. He stood at the top waterway of the city and began to make his way down.

In almost every alleyway, firebenders fought with waterbenders to the death. The black moon made the fire look like fireworks in a night sky. Aang stepped in the center of all the alleyways and the giant from hovered above them all.

The waterbenders bowed down in respect to the Avatar and he spared them the wrath to come. He washed away all the firebenders and moved onto every street, alleyway and so forth, washing away every fire nation soldier. He was cleansing the city of the disease they brought with them.

…

Sokka limped up to the oasis and burst thru the wooden door. And what he saw perplexed him. Standing by the water front was the old firebending general and Katara. Appa and Momo were off to the side and what looked like a tied up Zuko sat in his saddle. "What is going on?"

"He killed it, Sokka, he's dead now, Aang's finishing it now," Katara gasped. Sokka limped over and leaned on her for support. He was too late. He couldn't stop Zhao from killing the fish. Now Yue was making the sacrifice and saving everyone.

He watched as the fish glowed brighter one last time. The light was blinding but when it died down, they could all see the fish begin to swim in a circle with the other. The moon returned to its normal color and the sky lit up again. Sokka bit back all his emotions as he thought about the one girl he had ever loved being turned into the moon. Forever.

…..

Aang felt the moon spirit come back to life. He didn't know how but he knew it was done. Now all he had to do was finish the job. He moved down into the sea and pushed all the ships back with his waterbending. They all bowed to his will and were forced back deeper into the sea.

He stood above them all and started to bend the biggest wave he had ever made and washed it clean over every boat. He sunk every last one of them. Now what was ever left of the soldiers in the city would be imprisoned or killed.

He walked back to the wall in the fish form and it deposited him on the wall. Aang swayed as if the winds were blowing him over but he steadied himself.

It was over.

…..

Pakku stood in front of his two students. He had never been so proud of anyone in his whole career of teaching. In front of him stood Katara and Aang. "I'm happy to say that I'm going to the South Pole to help rebuild. I hope to patch up some relationships and help get our tribes back together. With this war going on, it's easy to forget you're all family, Master Katara."

Katara moved up to him and hugged him tightly. She never thought she would be hugging her master. Ever. But here she was giving him the biggest hug ever. Her home was going to be restored and her Gran Gran might actually have some company after their departure.

…..

Sokka stood next to Arnook. Sokka had the best healers look at him and all they could do was set his bones and heal the bruising and muscles. Otherwise, he was on his own. Arnook spoke first, "I was sent a vision many years ago after the moon blessed Yue. I saw a beautiful young lady rising up to meet and become the moon."

"It was really brave of her. You must be proud she would even consider making that kind of sacrifice," Sokka said. It was funny how he could freely talk about her to her dad and feel no remorse or embarrassment. It was almost natural.

"I am very proud," Arnook admitted with a sad smile. Sokka nodded in understanding. "Hahn went AWOL and our men didn't return. Many are dead and injured. It is a sad but joyous time for our tribe."

"It's too bad you can't have one without the other," Sokka agreed.

….

Iroh set the sail and sat down again, "Things did not go as planned, Zuko." Iroh had managed to escape with his nephew after the moon returned. It was not easy but it happened. Iroh was just glad they made it out with their lives.

"I'm tired, Uncle," Zuko said in a broke voice. He had faced death many times and it had left him tired and weary.

"A man needs his rest, sleep, Nephew."

…

Aang stood on the balcony looking out over the city. It would take a lot of time and labor to rebuild it. It would also take a long time to heal all the wounds that were inflicted. He couldn't help but feel responsible for them all.

Katara walked up and wrapped her arms around him and put her head on his chest. She had never been so worn and weary. This battle was going to change them all. And this was only the beginning. It was going to get much worse. She knew this.

Sokka too walked over and put a hand on each of their shoulders. This was their family now. It may not have been the most traditional but none of them could imagine it any other way.

They were all still together and that's all that mattered.

…..

Flames licked the platform and cast shadows about the dark room. The throne room reeked of evil and malice. On the throne sat Fire Lord Ozai. Shadows danced off his face and he sat still and erect. His daughter knelt before him. "I have a task for you, Azula. Your brother is a failure and your uncle a traitor. We don't tolerate such disgrace in our family…."

Azula looked up with her amber eyes. They sparkled as if she just received the perfect present for her birthday. This was her perfect gift.

And it bore the name of glory.

**Make sure to review guys! It really makes all that work worth it. I hope you enjoyed season one! Stayed tuned for the next!**


	19. 2- The Avatar State

**I'm back! I bet you thought I was dead or gave up! Well guess what, you were wrong! If you haven't, you should definitely read Devastation by Kataanglover98. It's amazing. Like my facebook page? Read more of my stories? Check out my fictionpress story? The usual I guess. And anyone who wants to help with some ideas for my story The New Players (or even this story)…it would be greatly appreciated. Reviews would be even more appreciated (better yet, review with ideas!) I'm desperate, okay? I'm also thinking about getting a beta because I'm too lazy to proofread my chapters… **

Sokka made his way through their temporary home and shivered. Things had been unusually calm for them. Though, he suspected it was because there was always calm after the storm. Or was it before the storm? Spirits, he couldn't remember!

"You've been gone for a while," he heard Katara say from behind the closed door. Sokka paused to listen. He didn't want to interrupt anything. That and he also didn't want to miss a good fight or something.

"I was talking to Pakku," Aang's muffled voice came to Sokka. He leaned forward and strained his ears to hear the conversation. A cold wind blew snow into Sokka's face and made him shiver. Not too long ago, the invasion of the water tribe ended and life went steadily well for the group. Aang and Katara were learning a few more waterbending moves before they had to leave.

"What did he say?" Katara asked. Sokka too would like to know what Aang and Pakku were talking about. If Katara was clueless then it was really bad. Sokka listened in with anticipation. This was something big…

"He wants me to go meet this General Fong and learn how to master the Avatar State before I travel to learn earthbending with Bumi," Aang told her. Sokka nodded his head in approval. This was good by his standards!

But this was not good for Katara. She would never admit her thoughts to Aang about his Avatar State. But in all honesty, nothing scared her more. He wasn't Aang in that state. He was the Avatar. That wasn't her boyfriend. He was the Avatar with the solid white eyes. He was terrifying.

When Katara and Aang reunited after the battle, she was in shock. She had never seen such a great display of power. She was terrified of her boyfriend. She was horrified that the sweet, gentle and carefree Aang she knew was such a powerful being. When she met him again afterwards, all she could do was hug him close. She couldn't look into his grey eyes.

"Is that what you want?" Katara asked as she sat on the floor across from him. Aang was sitting with his legs crossed in front of her. His grey eyes were trained on her and she noticed his stare was more intense now. Aang was maturing already.

"I don't think this is about what I want," Aang told her, "It's about what the world needs. Pakku brought up a good point; the Avatar State could be a great weapon in the war. It's what we desperately need. This isn't about me."

Katara shook her head, "You are the Avatar. The State is a part of you. It should be your choice." When Katara was met with silence, she looked down breaking his gaze. "But if you decide to go, I'll go with you and so will Sokka. We're here for you Aang."

"I know," He whispered as his voice cracked. Katara looked up and saw Aang staring off into the distance. He wouldn't tell her this, but he was just as scared as she was. He didn't know what to expect. Every day was like shifting sand for them. Nothing was set in stone and they went where the wind took them, or so to speak.

Katara nodded, "As long as you know. We aren't going to leave you, Aang." Katara blinked back a few tears as she said this. She didn't know why but she felt immense sadness wash over her. Ever since the battle, she had moments of sudden sadness come over her. She hoped it was just shock leaving her.

"I know," he repeated. He sighed and leaned back into the fur rug, laying on his back. He was laying so that his head next to her. "I just have a weird feeling about all of this," he admitted.

Sokka, who had enough of waiting outside the door, let himself in. Katara watched as Sokka made his way over to his bed and collapsed onto it. She grimaced at the sight, but not in her usual way. She felt so bad for Sokka. She knew he really liked Yue and she died to keep balance. Katara glanced down at Aang who lay still beside her. She hoped she would never have to see Aang do that for them.

She left Aang on the rug to retreat to her own bed across the room with a sigh. She prayed to the spirits that this wouldn't be a bad foot off to their next journey. They had enough excitement for one life time. "Goodnight."

….

The next few days went by in a blur. They packed up for their trip, helped rebuild parts of the still damaged city, and squeezed in a few more waterbending lessons. Sokka mainly kept up with Appa and Momo since they had been pushed to the side so much in their adventures here.

"We're finally leaving," Katara said looking out over the city. They had restored it to its usual beauty and then some. The entire tribe was pleased with the repairs and Katara was happy to be a part of it since she hated it so much when she arrived. They changed the tribe inside and out.

"We won't be safe anymore," Aang said, "Aside from the battle, the city was a haven. Reality is about to strike back at us." Katara glanced up to him. He looked deep in thought about something. She knew he had been having nightmares lately but he would never open up about them. He didn't sound like his usual self anymore.

"I guess so," Katara agreed. She watched as Sokka helped load up Appa to fly him down to the boats awaiting them. She noticed that Aang wasn't responding. Ever since the battle, things had been different. They couldn't even reunite properly because he was shaken so much by the experience just as she had been.

"Are you sure you and Sokka want to come along?" Aang finally asked. He kicked a piece of ice by his foot and averted his gray eyes from her blue ones.

"Of course we do, we've been over this before, Aang," Katara said in a genuine voice. She put her hand on top of his as they rested on the railing. He felt colder than usual but she shrugged it off. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just worried," Aang said. He was worried. But he was worried about other things. He was worried that Katara would want nothing to do with him once he could control the Avatar State. He knew she didn't like it as he didn't. And if Sokka thought it put her danger, he would surely drag her away.

"We all are, it's what we do," Sokka interrupted from Appa's saddle, "Now can you two finish this up later. We have a long journey to make. And we have to go most of the way by boat. Hurry up!"

Katara sighed and leaned over to kiss Aang's cheek. "It'll be alright," She assured him. He nodded and followed her to Appa. Soon enough, they were flying down to the boats and on their way to the earth kingdom once again.

…..

Aang leaned against the railing of the Water Tribe Boat. He watched as the waves lapped gently against the side of the boat. He sighed and turned around so he back was against the railing and he could look up at the moon. He had been watching the water far too long. He couldn't remember how long he had been up.

His dreams were becoming more frequent. And the worst part is he could never remember his dreams. They were horrible enough to make him wake up in a cold sweat and sweep his memory. He grunted in frustration.

He looked at the moon and felt his stomach drop. Yue knew what she had to do. She was courageous. She didn't struggle with it. She just did it. She would make a better Avatar than Aang. She understood commitment and duty. Why couldn't Aang be like that? Why couldn't he be fearless?

"Dammit," Aang rubbed his stinging eyes. The salty air must be getting to him. He had to be the worst Avatar. He couldn't even win a battle without the Avatar State stepping in to save his butt. He was weak without his past lives. He was a coward.

"Aang," Katara walked above deck and moved towards her boyfriend. She saw his grey eyes staring at the moon and his rigid posture. She swallowed hard. This was going to be another hard conversation. That's all that's been going on lately. Their first real battle had been hard on them.

"It's late," Aang said softly. He looked back down and his eyes settled on Katara who was standing in front of him.

"Sokka and I are worried about you," Katara began in her don't-interrupt-me voice, "You haven't been sleeping or eating much and you've been quiet. You haven't made one joke, made fun of Sokka, or done anything remotely dangerous or what you consider 'fun'."

"I'm sorry?" Aang said in almost a question. He knew what she was saying was true but he couldn't clear his mind. He did miss having fun and laughing with Katara as they made fun of Sokka and practiced waterbending. They settled into a silence.

"Do you need to talk?" Katara asked hesitantly. Aang shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know what there was to talk about. Everything was so jumbled in his mind and he couldn't even think of how to form coherent words about his thoughts.

"We're going to be leaving in about an hour. Pakku said we should get an earlier start than planned," Aang reminded her.

Katara shook her head, "You're changing the subject. You can't just avoid that something's upsetting you." She stepped closer, "You're never going to feel any better by keeping everything bottled inside."

"Then you have to go first," Aang told her, "What's been bothering you." She shifted under his heavy gaze and played with her braided hair and tried to compose her thoughts. She had been taken off.

"I guess I'm still in shock. I've never been in something like that," Katara shuddered at the thought of what she was about to say next, "and seeing Zhao get killed like that…I still have nightmares." Aang looked down at the deck. That sight still haunted him too. He didn't like the guy but he couldn't imagine dying like that. "We're just kids, Aang. We're going on crazy missions and adventures most adults would run away from. We're all hurting."

He sighed and watched as Katara unwillingly let a stray tear slide down her face. Aang held out his arms and she gratefully accepted the hug. This was going to be a long healing process.

…

The sun was just beginning to peak out above the waves. There were very few clouds in the sky and the crisp, salty morning air met the people on deck. Pakku walked over to the three teenagers as they saddled up Appa. "I hope you all have a good journey," He told them with a warm smile.

Katara was the first one to respond after fixing the saddle, "It's been great, Master! I hope you have a good time rebuilding down South. I know our tribe would really appreciate the help."

Pakku nodded and pulled something out of his watertribe robes, "This is water from the spirit oasis." Katara's mind flashed back to the explosion and Zhao falling into the oasis water. "It has amazing healing abilities but can only be used once and very wisely at that."

Katara nodded in understanding and took the small vial from him. "Thank you, Master," Katara told him with a hug. Pakku gladly returned the hug to his favorite student.

After Pakku was done with his goodbyes to Katara, he moved up to Aang next, "Aang, you have been advancing greatly though Katara does have you beat pretty well." They both grinned at Katara as she threw her bag on the saddle. Pakku was handed a box from another watertribe member and handed over to Aang, "These are just to help with your learning. I'm sure Katara will need the help since you are such an…enthusiastic student." Aang shrugged and took the box of scrolls. "Though they are no substitute for a master. That's why I am handing down my position to Katara. I'm sure she would like to be called 'Master Katara' in more than one activity," Pakku said the last part loud enough for Katara to hear and they all blushed at the comment. Sokka pretended to be busy with packing.

Aang smiled nervously, "Thank you, Master Pakku. I hope you do well in the Southern Tribe." Pakku gave him a curt nod and sent the boy off to Appa to join Katara and escape more embarrassment.

"And Sokka, come here will you?" Pakku grabbed the young man by the shoulders and pulled him away from everyone else. "You demonstrated great courage on the mission during the battle. You have talent, Boy, and with some practice you could be a great warrior. Practice with Aang and your sister; you may not be a bender but those moves are great in a fight. Watch out for those two, Sokka."

Sokka nodded as Pakku clapped him on the back and sent him off too. "You know the way, Aang. Don't waste any time. Good luck!" They all waved as they ascended into the air and began their next journey.

….

Iroh let out a long breath as he continued to get his massage. Pink blossoms were falling in the wind and the smell of spring was intoxication. He breathed in the scent of spring. "You know, Prince Zuko, these massages really work wonders."

Zuko pulled his straw hat down further and pulled his robes tighter around him. He turned his head away with a grunt for a response. Iroh waved off the two people giving the massage and sat up. He pulled his robe around him and tried to find the best approach to the problem. "Today is the anniversary," Zuko whispered.

Iroh hung his head. He was hoping for some miracle that Zuko would've forgotten about today's date and what unfortunate circumstance occurred. "Exile isn't a pleasant thing, Zuko," Iroh began carefully, "Many share your pain. It is important to let go of the past so you can focus on your future. You will only suffer more by harboring these memories."

Zuko only continued to stare down at the wooden floors. He didn't agree or disagree with his uncle. He simply just knew. Knowing the truth was one thing though accepting it was another story. Accepting things meant you were okay with it. Zuko would never be okay with exile. He wanted to be back home and waited on hand a foot. He wanted to have friends. He wanted to have a normal life.

He wanted something he could never have.

…

Azula stood on the deck of her ship with arms crossed. Her crew stayed bowed on the deck below her in submission. "Listen here," She began harshly, "We will be in port by tonight and I don't want any mistakes. You serve me now and what I say must be done." She paused and stared down every last one of them though none of them could tell, "You are all aware of our plan and if it isn't perfectly executed, you will be. Now get back to work."

They stayed bowed for a few moments more and then scrambled back to their positions. Azula stood on her raised platform and watched as they hurried to obey her. She grinned; she loved being in charge!

"Princess," Azula frowned as she heard the captain behind her speak. She hoped for his sake that he was bowing. She nodded for him to continue, "The tides won't allow us into the port by tonight. We will have to wait til morning."

"Can you tell me something, Captain?" She asked with a small smirk. She turned around and stared down the older man who was still bowing and shaking, "I am not very knowledgeable about tides. Now tell me, do tides command the ship?"

"I do not understand, Princess," He said with a shaky voice, not daring to look up at her.

"Do the tides command the ship? Do they just decide when to not let boats enter the port?" She didn't even wait for his usual response of 'no princess' before she said, "I do not care of the waves or what you think of them. The tides do not just stop for simple men like you. They have made up their mind to keep continuing until they collide with something. If I threw you overboard, they would not think twice about drowning you. Now if I were you, I would navigate my ship and stop trying to please the waves who have already decided to kill you. I however and still am mulling it over. Now get us into that port!"  
…

"It's about time we got here," Sokka complained. They were all stretching as they climbed off Appa. It had really been a long time since they had rode that long. "I think my butt went to sleep five minutes into that trip."

"You told us already Sokka," Katara said impatiently. She was ready to find her own room and lock herself in there for an eternity. She forgot how aggravating her brother was. "We all have the same problems you do. We were all there."

"Avatar Aang!" Aang looked up to see a very tall and muscular man walk towards them. He had a thick black beard and dressed in green and gold armor. Aang assumed it was the General Fong he was told about. "I'm so glad you made it! And master Katara and Sokka of the Water Tribe. It is an honor to have all of you here."

"Master Katara?" Katara smiled to herself. She could definitely get used to hearing that more often. "You must be General Fong, sir." All three of them bowed slightly out of respect as he did the same.

"Yes, that would be me," Fong smiled politely. "Now, I do not mean to rush you and I'm sure you may want to rest, but you can do so after our meeting. After all, it is of prime importance to discuss these matters."

"We would be glad," Aang said before Sokka could protest and show the General his sore butt. "The sooner the better, right guys?" Aang said happily. Sokka grumbled a response that could pass for an agreement and Fong lead them to his base.

"You may sit here," Fong instructed them. The three sat down on green mats while the General sat at his desk made of earth. He leaned forward towards them and ran his hand over his long beard thoughtful. "We might as well get down to business, Avatar," He began, "I've heard about your great power you displayed at the North Pole when the Fire Nation invaded. I must say I am impressed. I have never heard of any man being capable of this. So I did some studying and I discovered what you call the Avatar State. I am very fascinated by it, avatar. Tell me, can you control it?"

Aang fidgeted nervously and refused to meet the General's green eyes, "Well not in the strictest sense…." He cleared his throat and laughed nervously. Katara and Sokka looked at each other in confusion. They both knew Aang had no way to control his Avatar State.

General Fong leaned back in his chair and paused for a moment, "Well, we can start by learning how to trigger it. Once you get into it, things should sort themselves out. Then, once we accomplish that, we can be on our way to the Fire Nation!"

Sokka choked on his spit and caused quite the spectacle and Katara bolted upright. Aang sat in shock. "Why in the world would we just go marching into the Fire Nation? They would kill us on the spot!" Aang protested the General's idea. Sokka and Katara nodded in agreement.

"Aang is right, it would be a suicide mission," Katara spoke up, "And what would we do when we got there? We can't just waltz up to the capitol and kill the Fire Lord. He's going to be heavily guarded and protected. It would be pointless and cause too many deaths."

"That is where you are wrong. With the Avatar state we can go straight through the nation and defeat the Fire Lord," Fong stood up getting caught up in the moment, "People are dying every day in this war and they have been for a hundred years! This is your chance to finally dethrone him and bring the world to peace! We could win the war _now!_"

"We can't win it if I can't control the Avatar State," Aang retorted. "It's not like I can just find some scrolls and learn how to control it. I don't have any sages or anything to guide me. I'm alone in this and it's taking time. I can't help that!"

"This is about the world, Aang, they need you!" Fong banged his hand on the table, "People have died in your long absence and now is the time to make up for it. Take this like a man, Avatar!"

"Look," Sokka stood up and balled up his fists, "He told you what you're asking is impossible right now. Can't you just get that through your head and listen for a second?" Aang was still sitting with Katara trying to hold in his temper.

"Very well," Fong sat back down and stroked his beard in thought again, "If I can help you get into the state, will we have a deal?" Aang didn't hesitate a second before agreeing. "Good. Now you may go rest and get ready for the work later today."

Sokka walked out leaving them behind. Katara was too shocked to wait for Aang either. Aang stood up and watched as Katara left the building not far behind Sokka. He sighed and thought about what he did. It was rash. It may not have been the best choice but he had to make it. The world did need his help.

"You made the right choice, Avatar."

…

As soon as Aang walked into their temporary apartment, he was met with a loud, "What the hell were you thinking?!" Katara stood with her hands on her hips and a grimace on her face. "Do you realize that this may not be very wise? This could kill you, us and everyone here!"

"Chill out, sis," Sokka leaned back on his bed and picked some leftover food out of his teeth, "I can see where he's coming from. Sure I wasn't happy at first either but think about it: this could end the war. I think the risk was worth it."

Katara crossed her arms and continued to stare down Aang, "Well I think it's a terrible idea and that you need to go tell Fong you were mistaken. Besides, he had no place to talk to you like that. None of this was your fault. He needs to learn to control himself before teaching you to control your Avatar State."

"Katara," Aang sat down on his bed and ran his hand over his bald head, "I don't think I have too much of a choice. I think I need to do this. It makes sense. Why postpone the inevitable?"

"You need to learn the other elements. Training and discipline is better than taking the short cut," Katara told him with malice in her voice, "If for some reason you get stranded outside of the Avatar State in this battle, a few extra elements will do you well."

"I'm just trying to think logically. The sooner this is over the better," Aang told her.

"Well you can do that without me then!" Katara threw up her hands and left the room. Sokka and Aang watched as she left with surprise. Katara never left a good fight. She always stuck it out.

"Maybe we should just go to sleep until it's time to start your training," Sokka said nervously. He didn't want to be on Katara's bad side and he knew he would since he sided with Aang and not her.

"I think that's the best thing I've heard all day," Aang agreed as he collapsed into the bed and drifted off to sleep.

…..

Fong sat down in front of them all and with him came a tray. "This is a chi enhancer. Many warriors use it to become better, faster fighters. It works wonders," He stroked his beard and continued, "It may even be strong enough to induce the Avatar State. It does give tenfold energy."

"Tenfold energy?" Aang said curiously looking at the shot of chi enhancer and then at Katara. She had only come today because he begged and told her everything would be fine. "That little bit of drink will give me that much energy?" Fong nodded. "Well I guess that's a good idea."

Katara watched as Aang took the small shot of chi enhancer. She raised her eyebrow as his eye twitched. "Are you okay?" She asked. His breathing sped up, his eyes dilated and before he could even respond, he fell backwards and was knocked out. "Aang!" Katara kneeled down next to him and shook him. "What did you do?"  
"It'll wear off, he just had so much energy he collapsed, it has happened before," Fong lied easily. He cursed under his breath. That didn't go as planned at all. "He'll wake up soon."

_Thirty minutes later:_

They all sat around the Avatar waiting for him to wake up. "His pulse is slowing down," Katara reported. When he first passed out, his pulse was extremely high and now it was going back to normal. "I hope your next idea is much safer."

"I assure you none of this is dangerous," Fong said while drinking some tea he made during the Avatar's sleep. "It has been used on warriors before after all. But the next things we do won't involve drinking anything else like that. It will be more spiritual."

Before Katara could voice more opinions about the General's plans, Aang began to start moving again. Katara shot the General one last glare to let him know that just because Aang was alright didn't mean she was okay with any of it. "Aang?" Katara asked him quietly.

"Geez, you don't have to yell," Aang complained as he rubbed his temples. He sat up and opened his heavy eyes. Katara let out a sigh of relief and Sokka just shook his head. "Did I go into the Avatar state?" He asked.

"No," Sokka deadpanned. Aang sighed and laid back down with a groan. "But you did pass out for thirty minutes. You're not very interesting when you sleep. But you're never really interesting like me…"

"Would you shut up?" Katara asked with a hint of annoyance. "Can't we just get the rest of this over with?" Aang nodded and agreed with Katara. Getting this out of the way would be much better.

"I couldn't agree more," General Fong said standing up, "Let's move on. Follow me."

…

"Uncle," Zuko growled walking through the door, "For the thousandth time: we aren't on vacation! Leave the damn shells on the beach!" Zuko slammed the door behind him and Iroh sat down on the chair across the room.

"I just want to remember all these times, they're like souvenirs!" Iroh sat down all his shells on the table and smiled as he organized them from where he sat.

"You want to remember being at sea forever?" Zuko slammed his fist on the wall in anger. How could his uncle be such a fool? Zuko was sometimes clueless as to how they were even related.

"I see all that time at sea has done so little to help your temper," Zuko spun around to face the intruder. She was sitting with her legs crossed and an overconfident smirk on her face. Her bangs framed her face perfectly and her attire was pressed and straight. Her amber eyes flashed between Iroh and Zuko.

"What do you want Azula?" Zuko hissed. He clenched his fist and prepared for a fight. He and his sister were never on good terms and he knew that if she was seeking him out things were bad.

"You know, I'm going to let this one slide. Being away for so long must dilute your memory on manners and proper respect for guests," Azula uncrossed her legs and stood up, slowly moving towards the two, "You're supposed to exchange a polite 'hello', give a handshake, a hug or _bow_."

"We have no time for games, Princess," Iroh sneered. He moved forward as Zuko. He too was prepared for a fight. His niece was a conniving brat. Even he could see that. "It would be appreciated if you could get to the point."

"Silence, Uncle!" Azula raised her voice to stop the old man, "this isn't your business! This is between Zuko and I." She turned to face Zuko and took a deep breath before continuing. "Father wants you to come back home. There has been much talk about his assassination and family is suddenly important to him."

"Father wants me back?" Zuko took a seat and tried to catch his breath. His words wouldn't come out more than a whisper. His father was taking back his banishment? His hand moved up to touch his scar.

"Yes, and I realize this must be so much to take in…" Azula paused and looked over at Zuko, "That's why I'm giving you until morning to make up your mind about this. My ship is docked at the port and we will be waiting for you. Uncle is also invited back. Father doesn't see you as an outcast, only sticking up for family. He finds that rather admirable right now."

When Iroh didn't respond, Azula brushed the nonexistent dirt off her shoulder and straightened up, "I shall be leaving then. I will see you tomorrow. Do not keep me waiting." Azula strode out the door leaving a very confused Zuko and a raging Iroh.

"What does he know of admirable?" Iroh hissed under his breath. His brother was a terrible man. He was ashamed to even call him family at times.

"What does he know of family?" Zuko retorted running his hand over his scar again. "What do you think Uncle?"

Iroh sat down again and tried to compose his thoughts, "I think a lot of things, Zuko. My opinion isn't the one that is going to matter to you. You need to make up your own mind about this. This is your life, your decision."

"I know, Uncle, I know," Zuko shook his head, "It's just…I've dreamed of this for a long time now. It seems too good to be true. And I know I should be excited, but I'm not. And Azula isn't a messenger. She wants something. She wouldn't come all this way to retrieve us. I don't like it, Uncle."

"Neither do I," Iroh agreed, "Then it is decided. We must plan about what we are going to do tomorrow. I don't think it would be wise to face her and pretend to go along with it. Too much can go wrong."

"But we should fight her and show here we aren't scared of her!" Zuko protested angrily. He wanted so badly to give Azula what she deserved.

"It is better to live to fight another day," Iroh told him, "We should go into hiding somewhere. Evading Azula for now will be better. She is expecting us to show up so we don't. It gives us a head start and the upper hand. We've seen her bluff. That's what counts."

Zuko shook his head, "Why don't we just take her out. Then we won't have to run."

"I rather be in one piece. Your sister is a fighter. If we challenge or embarrass her it will only make her more angry and more liable to fight about even more. All she can do if we don't show up is track us. If we're smart, we can avoid her for a while until we get a better plan."

"I hope you're right, Uncle," Zuko sighed leaning back into his chair, "If not, I just missed a perfect chance to destroy Azula in front of her entire crew."

"I hope so too, Nephew."

….

"This isn't working," Aang deadpanned in his most annoyed voice. He was standing in a ceremonial piece from each nation and covered in mud. The General had the great idea of mixing earth, water, fire and air and throwing it on Aang while he was dressed in the special clothing. It just made on ticked off Avatar.

"Such a shame…it was a rather good plan too," Fong stroked his beard again and mumbled to himself about some more plans while Aang airbended all the mud off of him.

"I bet if we make Katara take off her clothes it'll shock Aang into the Avatar State," Sokka laughed. Sure, he was protective of his sister but he couldn't pass up an opportunity to make fun of both of them at the same time!

"Do you think that would really work?" The General asked in the most optimistic voice they had ever heard. And that was saying a lot because Sokka and Aang had to listen to Katara every day of their lives.

"NO!" Aang and Katara both yelled as they blushed moving further away from each other. "I think Aang's had enough for one day anyway. We've tried everything."

Fong sighed and crossed his arms in annoyance, "Fine. But show back up tomorrow bright and early. I will have plenty more things to try then." Fong walked out and headed back to his quarters as the three teens watched him go in distaste.

"Well, I'm sure there's about to be trouble in paradise, so I'm leaving," Sokka said awkwardly, "'night guys." He cleared his throat and walked back to his room. Aang shifted uncomfortably as he was left alone with his very aggravated girlfriend.

"I can't believe you actually went through all of this today," Katara shook her head, "I thought you would stand up for yourself and tell him he was being ridiculous." Katara crossed her arms and looked up at Aang. All she could see was the blue arrow on his head since he was staring at the ground.

"I thought we went over this," Aang said calmly, "this isn't exactly about what I want. At least I can say I tried." He shrugged his shoulders, "I feel like I need to do this. I've already let the world down once. I can't let it keep going on."

"When are you going to get over that? It happened a hundred years ago!" Katara threw her hands up, "I mean, seriously Aang. Get over it. The rest of the world is. They didn't mope around. They did something about it. They fought back. And that's what you're going to do. We just need some more time to prepare and you need time to learn."

"We don't have time!" Aang told her. The anger that was building up in him all day was starting to come out. All the time wasted on Fong's ridiculous ideas was enough to drive Aang insane.

"They've held off for a hundred years already. They can wait until summer!" Katara was letting all of her anger come out. She held it in all day while they experimented with Aang and she dealt with it for him. But now, she realized it was all stupid. It was a waste of time and Fong was an idiot. It didn't matter now. She just needed to make Aang understand that.

"I don't think you realize this, but Aang, this is dangerous. You're dangerous in this state. You're scary. You can't even control yourself in it. You could kill everyone, even the innocent people. This isn't the way to go!"

"I need to do this Katara," Aang whispered.

"Then I can't sit back and watch you do this. Don't come near me. Don't talk to me. You're only going on a suicide mission and dragging everyone else down with you. I tried. And now, it's too late. Goodbye Aang," Katara choked back a few rebellious tears and fled from the scene without Aang.

…

Aang tossed and turned in his bed and never could find a comfortable position. You'd think that after the kind of day that he had he would be able to sleep and not wake up for days. But no, he laid awake and stared at the ceiling.

Maybe he was being an idiot. And maybe Katara was right. This was a bad idea. He sat up and looked around him. The sun was trying to break across the horizon turning the sky a deep shade of purple. This couldn't wait another hour.

He got out of bed, put his orange shirt back on and walked out of his room. The air was still as if waiting in anticipation for the upcoming events. The sun seemed to be frozen in place; it kept things looking ominous and dark. Aang shivered. He had a bad feeling about all of this.

He finally made it to the General's office and let himself in. "Avatar Aang, just the person I wanted to see!" Fong was sitting behind his desk sorting through some scrolls.

Aang growled in annoyance. Part of him was hoping the General would still be asleep and not here. "I actually need to talk to you General Fong." Aang walked up to his desk and stood above the General. Before the general could ask, Aang spilled everything, "I don't think bringing on the Avatar State is wise. It's more dangerous than it's worth."

"I see," General Fong stood up. He stood much taller than Aang. He gulped and tried to keep composed. "And I assume there is no changing your mind, right?" Aang nodded his head ever so slightly. "Well then, I hate to do this, but I have to give it one last try. This is my last trick."

"What are you-" But before Aang could get the rest out, Fong bended his desk at Aang. He jumped to avoid it and he watched as the desk broke through the wall leaving a gaping hole. He saw the sun peak up above the horizon. Aang airbended himself out of the office by jumping through the hole. Now that he could see where he was going, things would be easier.

Aang ran and dodged the General's attacks on him. He was sending chucks of earth at the Avatar and was just narrowly missing. "Stand and fight, Avatar!" Fong screamed as he bended more earth towards Aang.

"There's no point in trying to kill me over it!" Aang ducked and the huge block of earth collided with the wall behind him. The sound was enough to send every soldier marching to the scene and, surprisingly, enough to wake up Sokka and Katara.

"Soldiers," Fong addressed the half awake men dressed in green uniforms, "attack the Avatar and show no mercy!" They responded by assuming their positions and preparing for a group attack.

Aang grimaced and tried to find a safe spot to get a vantage point. He was in the middle of the battlefield and he needed somewhere where he could bend from a safe distance while still being effective.

"Fire at will!" General Fong ordered.

Aang leaped, using his airbending, and avoided the sudden attack from every soldier. They were all benders! And what they were bending was even more deadly. Set in stone, there were huge circles with a square hole in the middle that sat in the earth. They could earthbend them out of the ground, perfectly intact, and bend them at Aang.

These attacks were hard to avoid and made Aang use his airbending to the maximum. He had never jumped so high in his life! And now, more soldiers were coming out to battle with ostrich horses and spears. Aang gulped as he dodged another attack. There was no way he was going to be able to beat all of them by himself.

"I don't see any glowing, Avatar!" Fong shouted as he sent a ripple in the earth towards Aang. He was tripped up after the blow but was quickly on his feet. He saw another circle of earth racing towards him and he started to run the opposite direction. He was doomed!

…..

Sokka was jolted awake by the sudden crashes of earth. "Can't a guy get some sleep around here?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He got out of bed and looked out his window. "How nice, Aang is really working hard on this Avatar State thing."

He yawned and stretched. But when he looked back again, he saw something different: Aang looked terrified and seemed to be fighting for his life. "Dammit. Can't this wait until I've gotten enough sleep and eaten something?" he grumbled as he grabbed his boots and boomerang, "Katara! We have to save your boyfriend again!"

Katara, who was sitting on her bed, heard Sokka screaming for her. She sighed. She knew whatever they were doing outside must've been insane. She heard earth crashing around and some yelling. They were set on getting results and she didn't want to see what kinds they were getting. But when she heard Sokka freaking out in the next room, she knew something was wrong.

She sprang out of bed and ran into Sokka's room. He was slipping on his last boot and fell over as she walked in. "What's going on? And why are you on the ground?"

He hurried up and grabbed her by the arm. "Fong is attacking Aang. He must've really made him made or something. I bet the poor kid told him he was tired of his crap." Katara's mind was racing a million miles an hour. Had Aang really taken her advice after she yelled at him like that and treated him like trash?

"We have to help him!" Katara said speeding up. They were dashing thru the hallways and trying not to trip over their own feet.

"I told you that already!" Sokka complained. "Now hurry up! I don't think Aang can handle Fong and a whole army." Katara didn't have time to breathe or respond. She had to get out there and help Aang.

What they saw when they got there was unbelievable. There was broken earth everywhere, some soldiers laying on the ground unconscious and Fong laughing like a madman. "You go help Aang, I'll take care of Fong," Katara told Sokka. He nodded and raced off to the nearest soldier who wasn't a bender. What? Even Sokka knew he could hold his own against an army level bender.

Sokka's timing was perfect. As soon as he got close enough to the soldier, he turned to look at Sokka. And Sokka jumped up, and kicked him straight in the jaw. The soldier went flying off the ostrich horse and Sokka jumped on. "Good horse thing…" he petted the ostrich horse and it tried to buck him off. "Bad horse! Bad horse!" The ostrich horse took off and Sokka flew off laid still on the ground.

Katara rolled her eyes at her incompetent brother. He would wake up later trying to claim the victory as his own. She was bending the water out of her pouch as she approached the General. She had no idea what she was going to do but Aang was occupied with trying not to get killed and Sokka was going to be of no help since he was laying on the ground out cold.

Katara sprinted to Fong and water whipped him across the face at the same time he was about to fire an attack. He grunted as the water left a red mark across the side of his face. "You won't be getting in the way, little girl," Fong growled.

He lifted up another rock and sent it flying towards Katara. Aang, as he dodged another attack, saw all of this happening. He could only catch bits and pieces since he had his own battle going on but he did see the boulder leave Fong and when he looked back again, Katara was laying on the ground motionless.

"NOOO!" Aang yelled. This was his fault. He should have told Pakku he didn't want to come here. He should've went straight to Omashu and forgotten about all of this. Then Katara wouldn't be injured, or worse, and he wouldn't be fighting for his life in a military base.

Before Fong could do anything, Aang's tattoos began to glow and his eyes turned white. He couldn't believe it! The Avatar finally accessed his state! The key was the girl! She was his trigger. With her, they could win the war!

But Aang couldn't control himself in the Avatar State. They all knew this. Or at least, Katara did. She was picking herself up off the ground. She barely escaped the rock Fong threw at her. It left a bad brush burn and a throbbing headache but otherwise, she was fine.

Well, she was fine until she saw Aang above them in the Avatar State. She jogged over to Sokka's limp body and grabbed him under the arms. She began dragging him backwards to a safer place. Things were about to get ugly.

…

Aang blinked and then he was put in the most peculiar position. He was outside of his body watching the Avatar State control him. He was in a tornado of dust and earth above the base, bending all the earth around him, nearly destroying the whole base.

"You need to learn, Aang," the fatherly tone hit his ears and broke him out of his trance. Aang looked up and saw Roku hovering above him on his dragon. They were all blue in hue and transparent. He was in the spirit world!

Aang climbed on the dragon behind Roku and they ascended even higher above the base into the heavens themselves. "The Avatar State is a defense mechanism. The glow symbolizes the wisdom of all your lives coming together to help you in your time of need."

They broke through the cloud line and were flying above them. Standing on the clouds, in their spirit form, were the past lives of the Avatar. They were all watching as Roku and Aang flew past them.

"It this time, you are at your strongest. You have nearly infinite wisdom and unmatchable power. But you are also at your weakest." When he said this, Aang was shown an image of the linage of the Avatars. They all stood in a straight line and it ended with Aang. "If you die in the Avatar State, the line breaks and the Avatar ceases to exist." To prove his point, the Avatars disappeared in succession as did Aang.

He was jolted back to the present as they rode on the dragon. "But how do I control it?" Aang asked. All this was happening because of his need to control the state!

"You will need help learning this and that help will come soon, just not now," Roku assured him. "Until then, be very mindful, Aang. The world can't lose an Avatar right now."

"I'll try my best, Roku," Aang assured him. Roku nodded and Aang's spirit flew back towards his body. When they both collided, it seemed like the world shifted and something popped back into place.

The glowing stopped as did his earthbending. He was slowly descending towards the ground and he could feel his energy leaving him. That chi enhancer would have been great now.

"Avatar!" Fong cried, "That was amazing!" Aang groaned and looked around him. All the buildings were damaged, if not destroyed. Rubble littered the base and soldiers were crawling out of their hiding places to observe the damage.

"You're crazy," Aang gasped. Fong opened his mouth to speak but the newly awakened Sokka clubbed him in the back of the head with a curse under his breath. "Thanks Sokka," Aang said before passing out.

Sokka called for Appa and Momo and helped Katara move him to the bison. "When he wakes up, knock him out again," Sokka told one of the soldiers. He nodded, still scared witless. "Let's go, sis," Sokka said climbing onto Appa's head.

They could now go to Omashu in peace…hopefully.

…

Iroh and Zuko stood at a river bed and looked at each other. "We'll have to cut our hair now," Iroh said. They had already gotten changed into earth kingdom clothing but the disguse wouldn't be any good if they had fire nation hair styles.

"Can't say I'll miss it or anything," Zuko said as he took out his knife. He unsheathed it and grabbed his ponytail. He slid the knife threw his hair as close to his scalp as possible and felt his hair fall into his hand still held together by the ribbon. He handed his uncle the knife.

Iroh grabbed his bun and he too cut his hair as close as he dared. He gave Zuko back his knife and he put it bat into his bag. They both paused. "This changes everything," Zuko told him.

"We are new people now," Iroh agreed. They both nodded and dropped their hair into the raging river. "We must get going before Azula gets ideas."

Zuko nodded in response and they began their long journey through the earth kingdom. They were now refugees. They were no longer just banished, they were total enemies. They would never be accepted back.

There was no more hope for Zuko's honor now.

…..

Azula left her ship and made her way to the small Fire Nation colony. She was stood up! They saw through her pretense. She grimaced as she walked through the colony and tried to find their wanted board.

Of course she was lying about her father. Why would he want those traitors back? They caused the nation so much embarrassment and tarnished their family's name. No one in their right mind would take those two back in.

Azula stood on a crate as her troops gathered up the town's people. "Attention! Anyone who habors these traitors will become enemies of the fire nation and will be tried to the fullest extent. No mercy will be shown!" Azula held up the two posters of her brother and uncle.

Azula sneered one last time. She would catch those traitors and drag them back to the fire nation. She wouldn't be a failure like her brother.

She was Azula. She was perfect. She was able.

She was born lucky.

**Ah….i know. It was rushed, has mistakes or whatever but hey, if you got complaints, you can do my homework and take my tests. College and high school are not meant to be taken at the same time…Thanks for reading!**


	20. The Cave of Two Lovers

**A big thanks to Mustang and NCIS Freak for all the help and to Dinobot14 for one of the ideas that will pop up in here. Now for one of my favorite episodes! So…some of the humor in here is the result of having too many papers to write and not enough sleep and being hyped up on coffee…wonderful combination. **

Sokka drifted on his giant leaf on the water only in his underwear. Momo was laying on his stomach and Sokka's hair was in all directions now that it was out of his usual ponytail. His hands were skimming on the water as he drifted around.

Aang was floating on his back in the water with only his undershorts on. He had decided that Appa had to rest and they found this convenient river to rest at. After all, that meeting with Fong was plenty of reason to stop in rest.

But there was one person who couldn't rest. Katara was sitting on the bank in her white wrappings while her feet soaked in the water. She couldn't help but think about Aang who was floating feet away from her. After their fight at the military base, they hadn't made up at all. Things were tense and she hadn't talked much to anyone.

She watched him as he floated closer to her. He looked perfectly at rest and perfect overall except for the huge red scar on his stomach and side from Zhao. "Are you guys almost ready to go?" Sokka asked from his leaf. Katara jumped out of her trance.

"You're practically naked Sokka," Aang stated, "We aren't any more ready than you." Aang swam to shore and sat down next to Katara. "Besides, Appa's still asleep. We can't go anywhere without him."  
Katara tried to look comfortable sitting next to Aang but she wasn't doing a good job. "Could we at least eat lunch then? I'm starving," Sokka complained. Aang and Katara ignored him and continued with silence.

But their silence was broken by guitar picking, bongos and a chorus of "Don't Fall in Love with the Traveling Girl." Sokka sat up on his leaf and Katara and Aang turned around to face the source of the music.

"Hey," A slow, uneducated drawl reached them and the music stopped, "It's river people!" The man speaking stood in colorful clothing and a flow necklace. He carried a guitar and had long messy hair. Behind him stood two other men and two other women.

"We're not river people, you idiot," Sokka grumbled standing up from his leaf. He accidently dropped Momo face first into the water and the small lemur screeched.

"You're not?" The man asked. He sounded genuinely surprised that the three didn't inhabit the river. "Then what kind of people are you?" His companions watched in interest as Aang began to speak.

"We're just people," Aang shrugged. He stood up to greet the travelers. "I'm a nomad to be honest." He took in their rugged appearance, unusual clothes and odd odor. "I'm guessing you're nomads."

"Hey we are nomads!" he said laughing. He seemed amazed throughout the whole conversation, "So if you aren't river people then why are you in a river?"

"Because we feel like it," Sokka said in the most annoyed tone ever. Aang felt like laughing. Even he couldn't get Sokka that mad that fast. "Any more questions?"

"Nice underwear," The man said quite seriously. He seemed perplexed by Sokka's white wrap. Sokka turned red and sat down in the water holding Momo on his lap. Katara couldn't resist the urge to laugh. "I'm Chong and this is my wife Lily." He looked at Aang, "Oh awesome scar! Can I touch it?"

Aang sighed. This was probably going to be a long trip. He could feel it coming on.

…..

….

Iroh crouched down and observed the small bush that held one flower. He stared at it and began to contemplate his options. "Hmmm," he mused.

"Uncle!" Zuko screamed as he pushed a branch out his way so he could make it into the clearing, "This is ridiculous! I need real food! I can't find any berries, there are no animals anywhere and I have no nothing to fish with!" He kicked a rock and moaned in pain. He looked over at his uncle who wasn't listening at all, "Uncle, what are you doing?"

"This flower…" Uncle mumbled, "It is either going to make a tea so amazing its heartbreaking…" He paused and thought for a moment, "Or it is the white jade."

"I don't even want to know what will happen then," Zuko shook his head, "Whatever you do, don't try that damn plant. We can't afford for anything to happen." Iroh sat with his eyes trained on the plant. When Zuko was satisfied with his speech he sighed, "I'm going fishing." He grabbed a random stick and decided that a sharp stick was better than nothing to fish with.

_ Twenty minutes later:_

Zuko picked up the one fish he caught. It wasn't very impressive nor was it big enough for both he and his uncle. But they would have to make do with what they had which wasn't much at all. Being a traitor was not the life for Zuko.

He walked back to the clearing where he left his mesmerized uncle. He was really hoping he hadn't made a mistake by leaving him alone. "Uncle, I'm back," He called as he pushed a branch out his way.

"Zuko," His uncle gulped, "Remember that flower I found…" Iroh scratched his chin and refused to turn around to face his nephew.

"Damn it Uncle I told you we couldn't take a chance on these plants!" Zuko yelled and threw down his fish. He clenched his fists and kicked some dirt. Now they had to go find a doctor and get Iroh taken care of!

"IT WAS TEA!" Uncle Iroh cried holding up his cup of tea. "Oh it is amazing Zuko!" Uncle sipped on more of his delectable tea and smiled. "It was well worth the risk."

Zuko was trembling with anger. How could his uncle endanger himself like that? The only place to go would be to the earth kingdom and that was almost as dangerous as being found by Azula.

"Zuko, this amazing cup of tea has opened my eyes," Iroh said still sitting on the ground. "You know, hiding in plain view, it's something Azula would never expect. She thinks we aren't brave enough to do something like that. I say we take refuge in numbers. Don't you agree?"

"If it means sleeping inside, I'll do anything."

…..

…

Aang was leaning against the now awake Appa. Katara was having her hair braided by Lily. Her husband, the lead nomad, Chong, was picking strings on his guitar. The other three were laying on the ground playing music. Aang had to admit it was pretty relaxing.

"Can you stop with the music already?" Sokka yelled as he walked back to the river bank, finally fully clothed. "We have to get to Omashu and I would prefer that we didn't have background music the whole way."

"Somebody has a bad case of destination fever," Chong laughed as he kept playing his music. "Life is an adventure, not a job." Katara giggled as he brought up adventures. Nothing would make Sokka more upset.

"Enough with the adventures! We've had enough of those!" Sokka yelled, "Look, I just want to get to Omashu as soon as possible. It would be nice to be in a city with real food and other people besides my sister and this kid," He pointed at Aang. "So yes, I have 'destination fever'. If you spent weeks with these two you would understand!"

Chong ignored most of his speech, "Sounds like you're going to Omashu." Sokka just stared at the man in front of him. Was he actually that stupid? "Well I know a short cut!"

Sokka perked up at that, "Seriously?" He smiled and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I would love a short cut!" Aang and Katara glanced at each other. They stayed that way for a few moments until Aang coughed and looked away. Katara looked down too; did everything have to be so awkward?

"Yeah, it's a cave that goes straight thru the mountain," Chong explained. "It's called the Cave of Two Lovers." Aang blinked. Hadn't he heard of that before? "They even have a song that goes along with it!"

Sokka shook his head and held out his hands signaling him to stop but before he could say anything, Chong and his friends were already playing the song:

"Two lovers, forbidden from one another,

A war divides their people and a mountain divides them apart.

Built a path to be together…."

Chong paused and the music stopped…"Yeah I forgot those lines all the time. But then the rest goes:

Secret tunnel!

Secret tunnel!

Thru the mountain,

Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel!"

Katara and Aang clapped out of politeness. Chong's voice was out of key but the music was okay. "I think we should try out this cave. I mean, if we can get to Omashu faster, why not?"

Sokka pondered on this for a moment. He already hated being above ground with these people and he had a feeling that being underground would be even worse. "Well, let's make some torches and we'll be ready to go."

…

…

"Its. Freaking. Huge." Sokka gaped at the entrance of the cave. It had to be forty feet tall and thirty feet across. "And you want us to walk into this cave?" The cave was dark and the light couldn't penetrate but ten feet into it.

"Dude, it's a labyrinth," Chong snorted, "Who the hell told you it was just a cave? Some idiot that was." Chong and his friends laughed together at the 'idiot' who told the trio that the Cave of Two Lovers was just a cave.

"A labyrinth?" Aang asked. He was no longer so sure about going thru this mountain. He did need to live to make it to Omashu….

"Yeah haven't you heard the curse?" Lily asked, "The lover's built a labyrinth so no one could follow them. If they did, they would get lost forever and die. The only way to navigate thru it is to trust in love."

"Hey I remember the rest of that song!" Chong exclaimed,

"And die…"

"Okay, all I heard was 'curse' and 'die'," Sokka shouted, "Look, we should just turn around and fly to the city. This was officially the worst idea we have ever had." Sokka went to go climb onto Appa but Aang stopped him.

Aang had a feeling they should go through this maze. Trust in love? They should be able to do that. After all, he and Katara were supposed to be…something. They were all a family and these hippies were naïve enough to do anything. "The Firenation is probably tracking us right now. Think about it, are they going to follow us into this cave if they are sure we are going to die? This could be an advantage for us."

"Sokka, he's right," Katara intervened and put a hand on his shoulder, "Just make a map to keep track of where we go. We have ten hours of light from these torches. The worst that can happen is…well…we die. But the Fire Nation would do the same thing if they found us."

"We don't even know if they're on our trail, we could've lost them," Sokka said.

"Since when are you the optimist?" Aang asked. Sokka stared at the airbender and debated whether or not it would be smart to punch him. "Let's go into the cave."

They all agreed and made their way into the Cave of Two Lovers. The hippies walked in the front and the trio behind them. Appa stood in the rear and unwillingly followed them. Blackness washed over them and cool cave air met them with a gentle blow. Katara shivered and moved closer to Aang as he lit a torch.

"Let's start on this map," Sokka said as he pulled out a piece of paper and marked the entrance. Appa groaned and the sound echoed throughout the caves. After the sound died down, they could hear rustling somewhere down the line….something was coming for them.

…

…

Zuko and Iroh made their way thru the small earth kingdom village. They could tell only poor citizens lived here. The buildings were small and the people dressed in plain green clothes, just like them. They were blending in rather well. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Zuko asked once again.

"Yes," Iroh nodded his head, "the odds of someone discovering who we really are is slim. Besides, many people here are also enemies of the earth kingdom or fire nation. No one would dare turn us in because it would increase their chance of caught."

Zuko sighed and tried to look at ease which was very hard. He felt like everyone in the town was watching him. He became very conscious about the amount of dirt on his clothes, the stench they must've been putting off and most importantly, his scar. "It doesn't seem like it."

"Just stay calm, you're making yourself nervous," Iroh said as they sat down on a stone bench. "Blending in is only hard if you are set on making it obvious. Sit down and gather yourself for a moment. It will do you some good."

"What would do us some good is some food and a roof over our heads," Zuko said clenching his growling stomach. Money meant food and food meant not starving out in the streets. "We need jobs if we're going to blend in."

"Yes, that's what I was hoping you would say," Iroh said leaning back into the bench. "We would need some 'friends' too. It would seem odd if we didn't have anyone to associate with. It is only human nature to do so."

"I don't want to take that risk," Zuko growled. "You know how people are! They pry and steal everything from you, even information they have no business knowing! It would be a burden we don't have strength to carry."

"While it may seem so, blending in requires it," Iroh sighed. "Risks have to be made. We only single ourselves out by being distant. People get suspicious."

"Whatever," Zuko grunted. "Can we just find somewhere to get some food? Maybe someone will hire us today and let us work for our dinner." His hopes weren't high but wishful thinking was all he could have.

"If you need dinner, I would be happy to help," A soft voice said behind them. "I overheard you say that you needed food. My mother, she always cooks extra. She would be happy to have visitors."

The two fire nation traitors jumped and turned around to face who was speaking to them. It was a young girl, possibly Zuko's age. She had plain brown hair and eyes and wore simple light green clothes. "We would love to accept. If you need any work down around your house or work, we would love to accommodate as payment."

"That would be perfect," the girl nodded. "I'm Song by the way." She extended a hand to Iroh first and he gladly shook her hand. She then turned to Zuko and extended the same offer. He grunted and returned the offer.

"I'm Lee," Zuko said nervously. He was seriously worried about this girl. She was inviting them into her house for dinner. This could be a trap! "This is my uncle, Mushi." Iroh shot Zuko a grimace before continuing.

"We gladly accept your offer."

And that is how Zuko ended up on the roof of the house trying to repair a hole. Song's mother, a very nice lady almost Iroh's age, said the wet season was coming upon them and they were in desperate need of getting the hole fixed. Zuko agreed since he was going to be fed well for the job.

Iroh was down below helping Song's mother fix dinner and make small repairs in the house where needed. That left Song and Zuko on the roof together. "You don't have to be up here," Zuko told her as he finished patching up the roof.

He wasn't an expert at things like this but he did have common sense. That and when you're hungry, the need for food can drive you to be able to do anything. The sun was beating down in huge rays on his back and beads of sweat were rolling down his face. It was getting really hot up there for the very beginning of spring. He was already starting to hate the earth kingdom.

"Its fine, I didn't want to leave you alone in case you needed help," Song told him as he wiped his face clean of sweat. He finished up his work in an awkward silence. His stomach was growling more than ever. "The bright side is, my mother said afterwards, you can clean up in our bath and then dinner will be ready."

Zuko sighed. Dinner and a bath? This day might be better than he expected.

…

…..

Aang was on edge. Something was making its way towards them. And it sounded like more than just something. It sounded like multiple things! Or was that just the echoing in the cave? "We need to move fast."

"We can't," Sokka said looking at his map, "Whatever that thing is, it is blocking exactly where we need to go."

"You don't even know if that's the way we need to go," Aang argued. "It's just a guess. Being alive sounds better than heading straight for danger."

"You don't understand! We've circled around this area for a while now. This path is the only one we haven't tried and it makes a beeline straight for where the map has a big blank spot, right in the middle. It only seems logical."

"What's logical is running away from the creepy noises in caves!" Aang said a bit too loudly. Appa started fidgeting from the sound of echoes. He was getting edgy. He already had a problem with being underground.

"No, what's logical is not going into creepy caves, but nooooo," Sokka exaggerated, "You had to bring us thru the damn cave to save a few hours and a fight. Aren't you supposed to be the leader of this group? You're not doing a good job of it, now are you?"

"You're the one who has been assigning himself as the leader, not me!" Aang pointed his finger in Sokka's face. He didn't realize he was taller than he water tribe boy by so much. "So if you want to complain about crappy leadership, you're talking to the wrong person!"

"Shut up you…" but Katara couldn't finish what she was saying. Three wolf-bats flew into their small patch of cave and started to cause havoc. They immediately went for Katara, who was holding the torch. She waved them off with the fire as Lily tried doing the same thing.

But through all the chaos, things were bound to go wrong. Lily, while trying to scare away the wolf-bat, dropped the torch she was waving around. Everything happened at the exact wrong time. Appa was a little too close to Lily trying to get rid of another wolf-bat. When she dropped her torch, it landed on Appa.

Too many times Appa had encountered fire and now began to associate that with danger. He began to thrash about and running in the cave. He hit the wall and then the other trying to get rid of the fire and wolf-bat with a loud roar.

But the cave wasn't stable enough to hold against Appa throwing his weight. Rubble began to break off creating a deafening noise. "The cave is going to collapse!" Sokka yelled as he made a desperate attempt to get everyone around him out of the way, which consisted of the hippies.

"Move!" Aang yelled as rubble began falling from the ceiling. He did the only thing he could think of: he airbended then nomads and Sokka out of the way of the danger. Then he realized he and Katara were still in the direct line of danger.

"Aang!" Katara yelled as she tried to move out of the way. She knew she wasn't going to make it. Dirt was raining on her and the chunks of earth falling down were rapidly becoming bigger.

"Katara!" He began a sprint to where she stood. Momo was gripping onto his leg and he was hoping that it wasn't going to slow him down. He felt a few rocks clip him but he still trudged on. Dust clouded his vision but his sight was set straight ahead even with stinging and blurry eyes.

And just as the cave roof was almost about to fully collapse on them, Aang made contact with his target. His arms wrapped around Katara and he sent them flying, with the help of some airbending. A few stray rocks fell on them as they landed on the cave floor.

Aang landed on top of Katara who felt the air rush out of her from the impact. She felt pain shoot through her ankle and she grunted. "I can't move, Aang," She gasped as she lay pinned on the cave floor.

"Sorry," Aang huffed as he pushed himself up off the girl below him. "Are you okay?" he kneeled down next to her; still not ready to stand up.

"Yeah," Katara sat up and the first thing she noticed was that they were only left by themselves, Momo, and a torch. Katara examined herself and Aang. Besides some cuts and scrapes, they made it out okay. Though she was sure the bruising and soreness that would follow would beg to differ. "Are you okay?"

"I hope so," Aang said and rubbed the dirt out of his eyes and face. "I'm just worried about everyone else, especially Sokka. You know him." Aang finally had the strength to stand up. After he did, he offered his hand to Katara.

She looked at his outstretched hand and decided to get up on her own. He blushed and retracted his hand when she silently refused his assistance. "We should get moving, we can't run out of light."

Aang nodded and began to lead the way that, hopefully, led to the exit.

….

…..

Zuko, after he bathed and got into the only clean pair of clothes, walked to the table where they would be eating. He sat down in a chair next to Song since it was the only one available.

Iroh sat across from him and Song's mother next to him. "Sorry I'm late," Zuko said halfheartedly. He wasn't exactly sorry because a warm bath was what he really needed, next to food.

"It is no trouble," Song's mother replied. "We just sat down anyway. Now, help yourselves." Zuko nodded and ate the roasted duck and noodles almost as fast as his Uncle Iroh.

"This is amazing," Iroh said after he swallowed down a whole mouthful. "We are really grateful for this." He pulled more duck onto his plate and began to eat that too. Zuko was trying to restrain himself since Song and her mother weren't eating too much, as if to leave more for them.

"We are too," Song smiled, "We really needed the roof repaired. I'm sure it was nearly a fair trade." Iroh agreed but Zuko looked down in embarrassment. It would be much easier if they just forgot about all the work they had to do to secure a dinner. It was shameful for him to beg for dinner.

"Yes, and I must say, Lee," Song's mother began, "You are very good with your hands. You would have no problem getting a job anywhere around here. Skills like yours are hard to come back since the war."

Zuko, if it were humanly possible, felt even worse. They had to bring up the war didn't they? He couldn't blame them; they didn't know his real identity. How could they? "Thank you."

He looked down at his empty plate. At least now he had an excuse to leave the table. He stood up and left the room. Iroh looked up and sighed, "You must excuse him. He gets odd whenever the war is even mentioned."

"That poor boy…" Song's mother said under her breath. "Is his father fighting in the war? Or is he going off soon?" Iroh looked downcast and Song visibly flinched. She couldn't image Lee going off to war so soon. He couldn't be much older than her!

"His father is very obsessed with winning the war. He…left Lee many years ago. He then joined the army but all of his efforts were in vain," Iroh sighed and finished his dinner with far less enjoyment.

Zuko sank down onto the wooden porch and tried to rid his mind of all the thoughts that burdened him so. Fireflies were suspended in the air around him contrasting abruptly with the still, dark night. He wished he could be like those meaningless bugs. They had no worries; they lived and died. Life was not that simple for Zuko.

"May I join you?" A soft voice called him from his thoughts. He recognized it to be Song as she walked onto the porch, closing the door behind her.

Zuko barely nodded his head in response. He heard her light steps as she crossed the porch to sit next to him, "I came because I thought we had upset you." she paused and Zuko assumed it was to muster up what courage she had. "I'm not going to tell you nonsense though. Lee, the world is terrible. The Fire Nation, they took my father," Her voice quivered, "They scarred me just like they did you." She lifted up her white pant leg to show him. The scar wrapped around her calf.

She glanced over to gauge his response, "But it's what makes us, us. Many say that it marks people for greatness. It sets them apart. It's nothing to be ashamed of."  
"I'm not great," Those were the only words Zuko could choke out. Here this innocent girl was explaining to Zuko about how his scar made him a good person. In fact, it made him nervous. Scars did set people apart. But they also attracted the wrong kind of attention: the kind that made his sister find him. "You're wrong."

"No I'm not," She protested. She didn't know when to give up. "I know who you are." Zuko shrank away from her silhouette in the dark.

"You know nothing," He snarled. "Those bugs probably think they're great too! They probably think they are amazing for gracing us with their gift. They may all go around reminding each other how great they are by shining their damn lights. But that doesn't make it true."

"I know something," Song continued. Zuko grunted. He was waiting for her to say something like 'I know who I am'. He thought all girls were stupid that way. They thought they were deep and philosophers and all that trash. "I know who you really are."

Zuko paused. That was the second time she said that. It had to mean something. But she couldn't know who he really was. That was impossible! "You don't want to know who I really am, trust me."

"But I do, Zuko."

He looked up and shrank away from Song. How could she know? This was what was keeping him alive: hiding from Azula. Zuko couldn't fish his words out of his brain. They were permanently stuck there. "I can read wanted posters, you know," She commented.

"Then why did you invite us over?" Zuko gaped at the girl next to him. She was completely calm and composed and Zuko was the one freaking out. Things were certainly backwards.

"There is a reason for everything I guess," She began, "When I heard you and your uncle talking about trying to find food, I realized that you were just like the rest of us. You still had human needs even though you're fire nation." She paused and looked down at her hands resting on her lap, "I suppose it's more complicated than that…"

"I would assume so," Zuko said almost sarcastically. His position had been compromised by this one teenage girl. He settled back down onto the porch and prepared to her Song express herself now.

"We could help you," Song blurted out, "You could stay here as long as you needed."

Zuko blinked and tried to answer. But he could not. She had known about his true identity and still gave him food. He lied to her and she was still welcoming him in. Apparently, there was much about the world that Zuko didn't know of.

…..

…

Sokka sat down next to the large pile of shattered rock and rubble. He had tried to dig his way back to Katara and Aang with no avail. He was officially stuck with these idiots. At least he had Appa to keep him company.

"It's no use," Chong said nonchalantly, "We're separated for good. We should just keep walking." His wife Lily agreed and the other three stood there as usual saying nothing.

Sokka leaned against the rubble and tried to hold back his bitterness. This was his fault. If he would've just listened to Aang, they wouldn't be in this situation. He wouldn't be stuck with a bunch of idiots with no company besides Appa. He didn't even know if Katara and Aang made it through the chaos.

He grunted and reluctantly stood up. "Here's the deal, we're going to get out of here but we need some ideas. While we try and map everything else out, we're going to think of other ideas. Until then, we just have to keep walking and hope we get out."

Sokka patted Appa's side and then began to walk towards the only way not blocked by the collapsed part of the cave. "We have to stick together. If you get lost, play that stupid music of yours, we might be able to find you from the sound."

"Hey, we should play love songs!" Chong pulled his guitar around from his back and began to strum a few notes. His friends began to join in with their instruments too.

"I didn't mean now!" Sokka yelled and threw his hands up.

….

…..

Aang and Katara were now able to walk. Their crash together on the floor hadn't been pleasing for their bodies. They were stiff and having a bit of trouble walking at a good pace. "This is exhausting," Aang said breaking their long silence.

"Mhmm," Aang sighed. Katara hadn't been talking at all. He figured she was still mad at him about the whole Avatar state thing. Honestly, he would probably be mad at himself too. But that wasn't the point. It was beyond awkward being stuck in a cave with your girlfriend (were they even still 'together'?).

Though Aang assumed he should probably be thinking more thoughts about his duties and that sort of thing. The fate of the world was resting on his shoulders and his ability to be a good Avatar.

"What's that up ahead?" Katara muttered to herself. A little ways down the cave, the couple could see what looked to be an open vault. Momo shot ahead of them hoping that it was the exit but Katara and Aang could tell it wasn't. Whatever lied behind the opening was pitch black.

Aang led Katara into the room and helped her down the steps since they were extremely steep and he had no idea what they led to. "Can you see anything?" Aang asked since Katara was still carrying the torch.

"Not really," Katara answered. But soon enough, they reached the bottom they could see just what they stumbled upon, "It's a tomb." Katara and Aang made their way to the giant tomb. It was rectangular and had inscriptions on the sides with drawings and words.

"The two lovers met on a mountain," Katara began to read the inscriptions, "They were from enemy villages but their love was strong. They were the first to learn earthbending and they did so from the ancient badger moles. They met secretly in the tunnels so no one could find them. Anyone who would follow would soon perish after becoming lost."

So far, this wasn't the worst story they heard, but things took a different turn, "The man was killed in battle and the woman unleashed a terrifying display of earthbending. She could've destroyed the whole village but instead, she declared the war over. The city was named afterwards for the two lovers: Oma and Shu."

Katara stepped back and said, "That's it. That's why it's called the cave of two lovers.The lover's met here so no one would know about their secret love affair. That's amazing!"

Aang turned around to search the rest of the room but was met by a statue engraved into the wall. "Love is brightest in the dark," He read the words in between the picture of the two lovers kissing. "Those must be the lovers buried over there."

"Aang," Katara said softly. "I have an idea that might get us out of here." He looked down at her. She refused to meet his eyes and was fidgeting. He urged her to continue. "Well this whole cave is about love. And now they have a picture of the couple kissing."

"And?" Aang asked. Admittedly, he wasn't always the brightest torch on the wall but he could normally put two and two together. But right now, he was having no such luck.

"What if we kissed?" Aang wanted to jump up in the air and scream like a madman. Kiss Katara again? Who would pass that opportunity up? "I mean…I understand if you don't want to. It was just a stupid idea…"

"We could try," Aang said keeping his cool. He couldn't go and scare her off. He needed to be relaxed so she would be too. And maybe, they could fix this problem out if they were both calm and cool headed! "I don't see what could go wrong."

She nodded and still dodged his grey eyes. She tugged at her long braid, which had become a nervous habit for her lately, and tried not to seem awkward. This was Aang in front of her after all. They had kissed before. "So…um."

But Aang cut her off. He crashed his lips on hers and she nearly dropped the torch she was holding. She hadn't realized how much she missed this part of Aang. Don't get her wrong, she loved the childish and fun loving Aang but she really adored the more mature Aang that only she saw. She closed her eyes and gave into the Aang she so desperately missed.

They once again fell into sync and deepened their kiss. One of his hands cupped her cheek and the other rested on her lower back so he could draw her closer. Their lips parted and they inched back ever so slightly. Their noses brushed ever so slightly as they did so.

Katara felt the need to say _something_ but no words came to mind. Anything she felt the need to say was blown away by their kiss. But she did manage to say the first thing that came to mind, "Nothing happened. And we're going to run out of light very soon."

Aang nodded, "We don't have any water or food either. It doesn't look great. It's been a while and all we've found is tomb. We're probably in the heart of the maze." Katara dropped the torch and tackled Aang into a hug. Thankfully the light didn't go out.

Aang wrapped his arms around Katara as she did the same to him. "I'm sorry, Aang. And I'm sorry that it took me this long to say it. I feel terrible." Aang pulled her closer to him and she buried her face in his chest. Her voice was quivering and thick.

"It's okay," He told her over and over again. It was mainly to convince himself. They were trapped in a crazy maze made by some desperate lovers and their fate was looking pretty grim. At the rate they were going, they were going to die together with a lemur. "It's my fault."

Momo screeched in agreement and Katara and Aang laughed. Well, that was until the lemur started messing with their torch laying on the ground. He was trying to see how to touch fire. "No Momo!"

The lemur screeched again and jumped up from the sudden noise. But this didn't ensure the torch's safety. Momo came crashing down right on top of the flame causing it to go out. Katara, thankfully, was still holding onto Aang and didn't get as freaked out as she would have. They were going to have to work through this now in the dark.

"We'll be fine if…" Aang looked up and heard Katara gasp. They both saw it! Crystals were lighting up on the ceiling leaving a trail out of the room. "Love is brightest in the dark! It was a riddle!"

"We're going to get out of here!" Katara cried and hugged Aang tighter. They were going to make it!

…

….

"We can't stay too long," Iroh shot down his hopes, "Azula could track us down easily if we stay put for too long. It wouldn't be wise. We have to be smart about this Zuko." Zuko had confronted his uncle with Song's offer for them to stay a while. "I give it about three days before it becomes dangerous."

"Are you sure?" Zuko said slightly disappointed. Never had he met someone lately who knew who he was and still accepted him anyways. It was refreshing and a comfort. He really didn't want to lose it. Iroh nodded and Zuko knew he wasn't going to move on the subject.

"Get some rest, Zuko," Iroh patted his nephew on the back, "I don't want you to be tired on our journey. Use the time to rest wisely. It will benefit you later." And with that, he walked out.

Zuko fell into the guest bed and stared up at the ceiling. Why did everything have to be so hard for him? Just when he thinks things are going to get better, just when he thinks he can start to change, he's forced to start over again.

But the least he could do was enjoy his couple of days off and rest up. He would probably offer to help Song in her garden, help repair some things in the barn, and just spend time with his new friend. He sighed; she was his only friend right now if he didn't count Iroh.

How could he leave all this behind? He had become attached in one day! This was unlike him. He didn't care about people! This wasn't him! But yet, it was. Strangely enough, he was beginning to enjoy the new changes in himself.

Maybe he could stay this was as a personal reminder of what he was about to leave behind. Maybe he could do it for Song: his friend.

….

….

Sokka leaned against Appa and tried to keep calm. The hippies were on yet another song. They had been relentless with their playing! It was driving Sokka mad! What was music going to solve? It wasn't making a map, it wasn't getting them out any faster and it certainly wasn't helping his nerves!

"What are you guys doing?" Sokka finally bellowed. His nerves were shot. He was covered in dirt. He had a cut on his leg that really burned. His clothes were sticky with sweat. Did he need any more reason to be upset?

"We're playing love songs!" Chong smiled, "Since we're in a cave for lovers, we figured it would help! Great idea, right?" Sokka wanted to show him where putting that guitar would be a good idea but decided against it.

"Okay, that's like saying 'we're in a cave for lovers so let's do it right in the middle of the tunnel'. Sounds stupid right?" Sokka continued to elaborate. He had been keeping this in for hours! And he was just bursting to say something.

"Whoa, man, that's a little drastic," Chong laughed. Sokka slapped himself in the forehead. Talking sense into the guys was not the way to go.

Sokka sighed and tried to enjoy the small amount of silence that was no surrounding them. He smiled. Finally there was no music playing! This is just what he needed! And little peace in quiet was great for the mind! Now, maybe he could think a way out of here.

"Hey, Chong, I think your stomach is growling again," Lily laughed as she heard another rumbled. Sokka lifted his head up and listened for the noise. *Rumble*

He looked around. That was definitely not a stomach growling. He looked at Appa who was behaving himself. So the sound couldn't be Appa… "What other animals live down here?" Sokka asked hesitantly.

"Wolf bats, cave monkeys, and, oh yeah, badger moles!" Chong listed all the animals he knew of in the caves. Sokka froze. Badger moles? They were earthbenders…and that only meant one thing…

*Bam!* the cave wall exploded and the said animal made its appearance. It was obviously a mole. It was brown with a white and black stripe like a normal sized mole. The only catch was: it was huge! "Run!" Sokka yelled.

And he soon found out that even the hippies could figure that out. Appa led the way through the tunnels with Sokka running very close behind him. The hippies were slower since they were carrying all of the equipment from their trip.

And when Sokka was sure his day couldn't get worse, it did. They were running straight for a dead end! Appa halted and Sokka looked around desperately. The mole was tunneling somewhere around them. He could hear the earth moving.

"We're trapped!" Sokka yelled and banged on the wall. They came this far only to die in a tunnel! "We have to do something!" He paced around quickly looking for anything that would help. But there was nothing. What they needed was an earthbender but unfortunately, there was a short supply in the room.

"It was great traveling with you guys!" Chong cried. "I love you guys, we'll see that never ending rainbow now!" Sokka was so frantic that he didn't even question that.

The only one calm was Appa. And that was because he knew exactly what he had to do. He prepared himself and backed up a few feet. He dug his feet into the dirt and waited a few moments. The mole was getting closer and closer. Earth was falling from the ceiling and causing more worry.

Appa grunted and sprinted for the wall with his head down. What Sokka then saw was amazing! Appa created a hole in the middle of the cave. And the best part: he could see a setting sun on the horizon! "Let's get out of here!" Chong cried and they ran out.

Behind them, a very angry badger mole broke thru the cave wall. If it weren't for Appa, they would definitely be dead. The badger mole closed off the hole, stopping them from re entering the cave. Sokka shrugged it off. Even the mole seemed tired of the hippie music. "We made it out!" Sokka cried out and hugged Appa.

"Sokka!" He let go of Appa and faced the person calling his name. It was Katara! She ran up and threw her arms around his neck and drew him into a bone crushing hug, "We thought you wouldn't make it out!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sokka asked pretending to be hurt.

"It means we think you're dumb," Aang smiled and patted him on the back. He ran a hand thru Appa's fur and laughed as Momo and Appa exchanged stories in their own language.

"Well for your information, I am very intelligent," Sokka said letting go of Katara, "I finally figured out that if we couldn't navigate out, we just had to push our way out."

"He means your flying thing busted a hole in the cave and let us out," Chong interrupted. Katara and Aang laughed as Sokka turned red and tried to pretend Chong didn't ruin his chance at being the great leader.

"We found a tomb mysteriously open and then let love lead the way," Aang told him in short. Though, he was curious as to why the cave didn't have a door placed to block of the sacred tomb. He shrugged it off though. The spirits were mysterious as were humans.

"Are you guys coming to Omashu with us?" Katara asked Chong and Lily who were readjusting their equipment.

"No," Lily smiled, "But we did enjoy the adventure. I hope you find what you're looking for in the city." Chong and his friends nodded in agreement. "But I have to ask…are you the Avatar?"

Aang was prepared to respond with a 'yes' until he realized that the question wasn't directed to him but to Sokka. "Um no why?" Sokka answered, very confused.

"You did a great job leading us thru that cave, it was almost as if you had a natural leadership I haven't seen before," Lily smiled sweetly and grabbed Chong by the hand. "It was nice meeting you anyway!"

The trio bid them farewell and began to walk the opposite way, towards the city of Omashu. "Me, the Avatar?" Sokka asked himself with a smug expression. Aang and Katara just rolled their eyes and followed their 'leader'.

Aang took Katara by the hand with a smirk in her direction. She smiled back and gave his hand a slight squeeze. Things were going to be back to normal now. They would be together again in a familiar city without any fighting.

"The trip was long and hard, but well worth it," Sokka stated, "I present to you the city of…" but his words fell short. There were none to express the feeling that he had. It was of dread, surprise, shock and fear. "It can't be."

But it was. There in front of them was the city of Omashu, but with one big change:

There, in the front, hung a proud, red, fire nation flag.

**So, it's about midnight and I realize that my mistakes are abundant. But I did finish one of the hardest chapters so far. I was really afraid of messing it up (and probably did) but I'm glad it's over.**


	21. Return to Omashu

**I apologize for my very long absence…and the quality of this chapter. I don't know why this made things so hard. But this combined with my first college finals, high school midterms and a terrible break up with my best friend, I think my brain was just on strike or something. But thanks for hanging in there. I know this won't be up to my normal standard but I just wanted to post it so I can work on a new chapter and start fresh…ish. **

_Aang took Katara by the hand with a smirk in her direction. She smiled back and gave his hand a slight squeeze. Things were going to be back to normal now. They would be together again in a familiar city without any fighting._

_"The trip was long and hard, but well worth it," Sokka stated, "I present to you the city of…" but his words fell short. There were none to express the feeling that he had. It was of dread, surprise, shock and fear. "It can't be."_

_But it was. There in front of them was the city of Omashu, but with one big change:_

_There, in the front, hung a proud, red, fire nation flag._

"It can't be," Katara breathed. No one in the group could move. One of the last strongholds in the Earth Kingdom had fallen to the Fire Nation. No, it didn't just fall; it was completely overtaken and redone. It wasn't even a shadow of what it used to be, even from the outside.

"We have to go in there," Aang gripped Katara's hand tighter, "Bumi must still be in there if they took over the city. He wouldn't leave." He stopped rambling as Katara began to shake her head.

"It wouldn't be wise on our part. We aren't exactly on great terms with the Fire Nation and there's only three of us," Sokka grunted in agreement with Katara's explanation, "Besides, Bumi may have escaped. Earth benders aren't going to bow down. They fight back relentlessly."

"I need to make sure he's okay."

"He's old anyway, probably dead before the Fire Nation even got here," Sokka crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. He couldn't imagine why anyone would willingly walk into a city full of firebenders.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sokka," Aang said sarcastically. Bumi may have been old but he sure had quite a few more years of living to do. Aang was sure his friend wasn't dead. "We need to go in; he's my friend. I would do it for either one of you."

"He has a point, Sokka," Katara said.

"You've only been back together for five seconds and you're already ganging up on the poor defenseless guy in the group," Sokka grumbled and grabbed his machete off Appa's saddle and tied it and the holster to his leg. "We might as well go now before it gets to dark. They probably have a curfew up and it'll be harder to get around then."

Aang smiled and led Appa to a spot on the cliff that was well hidden from any travelers by trees and brush. "Now, we have to find a way to get into the city without being seen," Aang said walking back over, "Disguises are a bit pointless because we'll be screwed if we're caught either way…"

"Then we should just travel through the sewers," Sokka said. Katara raised her eyebrows, slightly impressed. "That way, we have cover and an easy escape route."

"Sounds like a good idea," Aang commented and began to pace the ground while thinking, "We need a plan before we bust in there." Katara and Sokka agreed, also deep in thought. "If Bumi is in there, they are probably keeping him somewhere where he can't earthbend."

"But we're in the _Earth_ Kingdom!" Sokka exclaimed, "Everything is made of earth! It would be impossible."

"Sokka, most of the nations are made of earth. You don't see people in the fire nation running around in a land of fire," Aang shook his head. Sokka looked down in embarrassment of what he just said. Wasn't he normally the one to make Aang look stupid?

"The answer's easy," Katara interjected, "They're keeping him in metal. If the keep him restrained and in a metal box of some sort then they can cut off his ties with the earth."

"Or they can keep him tied up in metal chains in a wooden room," Aang said thoughtfully. "But I don't know who would go through the trouble of building a wooden room for one hostage."

"Or where they would put it for that matter," Sokka sighed. Maybe thinking before a mission wasn't a terribly good thing to do. "He could be anywhere in that city. And he most certainly won't be in plain view. Otherwise, any rebel could break him out."

"Maybe we can do some spying to figure out where he's at," Aang suggested.

"Or maybe we should just give up on this hopeless mission…" Sokka muttered. But his suggestion was ignored and the trio was on their way into breaking into the now enemy city of Omashu.

…...…

Azula crossed her legs again and felt her ship rock slightly with the ocean current. They were currently docked and awaiting her orders. "I think it is time for a change in plans," Azula said mostly to herself. The only ones around to hear anyway were the two old hags her father made her bring along.

She stood up and ran her hand along the wall of the ship. "It would be very hard to track down two men blending in as refugees with a royal procession…Yes; it is time for a change of approach."

Azula called in the captain of the ship, "There has been a slight change in plans."

A few hours later, Azula found herself in a tent that smelled of wet animals and a cheap, stale impersonation of fire flakes. The odor was enough to make her gag and turn up her nose. But she had to be here for her plan to work. She was searching for someone to aid her and this was where she was reported to be.

Azula wandered to another part of the tent that was roped off and had thin cloth obscuring the view of what it contained. Azula stepped over the rope, letting herself in by moving the curtains. In front of her sat a girl of her height wearing pink with her hair braided perfectly down her back. She smiled as the girl put on her make up in the mirror. "I was told I could find you here, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee nearly jumped ten feet into the air at Azula's voice. She made haste to get up so she could bow to the princess. "Azula! What in the four nations brings you here?" Ty Lee rose from her bow to give her friend a rib crushing hug, "To what do I owe such a pleasure?"

"It is indeed a pleasure," Azula smirked while returning the hug, "I cannot believe that just a mere time ago we were attending the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. Though, I did not come here to reminisce. I do have a purpose." Ty Lee stepped back and nodded her head, "I am in need of some assistance. My fat uncle seems to have run off and someone needs to fetch him."

Ty Lee's face dropped. "Oh Azula," She gulped and tried to continue, "I don't know if I could possible accompany on this trip. I feel the only place I could be of any use is here…that is why I joined after all." The preppy girl's voice held little conviction.

"Oh what a shame, I'll have to find Mai after all," Azula sighed, "Though I'm sure she'll be as close to happy as possible for her. I have been told she is with her father governing Omashu. She'll be happy to get away."

"I really am sorry Azula," Ty Lee tried to look at the princess but failed, "You are welcome to stay for the show and we can talk before you leave if you wish. I can always assist you by keeping watch for Iroh in the towns I visit."

Azula's face remained expressionless, "We shall talk afterwards since I will be staying for your performance." Ty Lee didn't catch the meaning behind Azula's words, much to Azula's advantage. And with one last hug, Azula left her friend to go visit the ringmaster.

….

"It smells horrible down here," Sokka complained as they waded through the knee deep 'water'. "And this crap is getting in my boots!"

Aang and Katara couldn't complain though. They were bending the water away from them as they walked so they weren't dealing with Sokka's problems. But they could agree that it did smell horrible. "Shut up then," Katara told him, "Your breath isn't helping anything."

Aang snickered as Sokka trudged on silently. They eventually came to a dead end in the system and above them sat a circular covering made of a few metal bars linked together. This way, if you stood at a certain angle, you could see what was going on above without them seeing you. "This would be perfect if some patrol would walk by," Sokka observed.

"Yeah, but I'm sure they could hear us talking," Aang whispered. "And by the way, you have a purple pentapus on your cheek," Aang pointed at Sokka and laughed quietly.

Sokka, who had no idea what a purple pentapus was began to thrash his arms around at an attempt to get the critter off him. Katara watching with slight amusement as the purple thing stayed latched to his face. Aang shook his head and walked over to Sokka. He ran his finger over the octopus like creature a few times until it removed its tentacles from Sokka's face, only leaving a few red spots. "I thought everyone knew how to get rid of those things," Aang rolled his eyes and moved back over to where Katara was standing.

"Now I look like I'm infected with some weird disease or something," Sokka said rubbing his cheek.

"You probably are," Aang deadpanned. Sokka grimaced and focused his attention on the pothole above him.

"What's going on up there…?" Sokka mumbled pushing Aang and Katara out of the way. They hushed him and watched the scene that was unfolding.

A man, a teenage girl and a woman holding a baby were dressed in fire red clothes and being escorted by four guards two of which were holding lanterns since it was so dark. Aang figured they must be important if they had an escort. As they walked on, Sokka noticed the bored looking girl's eyes scanned the area. She obviously didn't trust the guards.

All three of them were holding their breaths but it wasn't just due to the stench in the sewers. They could feel the anticipation in the air. Something was going to happen and they could all feel it.

Then, all of the sudden, they felt a portion of the earth above the rumble and they all knew this to be the act of earthbending. Aang was straining his eyes in the dark to see what was going on. One earthbender was attacking the people being escorted!

Before Aang could jump up to save them, Katara and Sokka held him down. They both knew it was important to stay out of this, even if something wrong was going on. They had to keep their presence a secret after all.

And it turned out Aang's longing to save the family was for naught. This girl was obviously very well trained. In one fluid motion, she drew a blade and threw it with great accuracy at the earthbender. Aang forced his eyes to look away as the blade made contact with the man as another was thrown.

Sokka watched as the escort checked the man and left. He was obviously close to death and the escort didn't want to waste time with the people out in the open since there was already one attempted attack. As soon as the fire nation people were out of view, Aang moved the metal piece out of the way and helped the other two out of the sewer. They jogged over stealthily to the man laying on the ground.

Katara knelt down next to him and checked his wounds. The man was barely conscious and bleeding profusely. Katara motioned Aang over and started to whisper frantically, "We can't move him in this condition. You have to pull out those two blades so I can heal him quickly." Aang nodded as she waterbended water from her pouch and waited for Aang. He gripped both blades and pulled them both straight out quickly. Her hands replaced his and she began to heal him.

Within minutes, the bleeding was over and the wounds scarred over, "That's all I can do right now, let's bring him somewhere as safe as possible so I can finish healing him."

…..

That safe place she was speaking of ended up being a dead end ally way behind an old dilapidated vendor stall. Sokka kept watch as Katara healed the man and tried to bring him round. "He lost a lot of blood," Katara whispered to Aang, who was watching, "I'm hoping when he regains consciousness that he can tell us what happened."

"How long will that take?" Aang asked as he watched her remove her hands from the man, "We can't stay here much longer. It isn't safe for us to be in the open like this, even if we are hiding."

"I'd give it a few minutes," Katara said sitting on the ground, happy to get off her sore knees, "He's regaining color and my healing should speed everything up."

"You know, if he was attacking those people by himself, there's a good possibility that he is the only one," Aang whispered to Katara, "Unless they really underestimated the situation. But I doubt it. I think he might be alone, maybe one or two more at the most."

"I hope you aren't right…" Katara sighed. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. Things were supposed to be looking up for the small group. Aang was going to learn earthbending from the best master and they were going to begin preparing for war. They did only have till the end of summer. But this was really a hindrance. Katara was desperate for things to get better.

While she was getting lost in here desperation, the earthbender began to come around. "Ugh," he moaned and tried to move. Aang put a hand on his shoulder and told him to keep it down. "Who the hell are you?" The man struggled with Aang.

"I'm the Avatar, and we just saved your ass so could you keep it down?" Aang said shooting a glance at Sokka to make sure no one heard them. The last thing they needed was to get caught. Aang's nervousness showed in his voice. "Do you know anywhere where we can talk safely?"

The man studied Aang and nodded. He managed to sit up without any help and got to his feet. He motioned for them to follow. Aang grabbed Katara by the hand and made sure Sokka followed. For an injured man, he sure could move fast. Aang reasoned he must've been a soldier or something.

Whoever or whatever the man was, led them to a house down a street or two from where they were. It was small and dark inside but Aang could make out the shapes of two people sitting at a table that held one candle. Both the men sitting looked similar to the one they saved. They both had black beards and looked battle worn like the other man.

"Looks like you damn near got killed," One of the men stood up and helped the other sit down. And he was right. The one they rescued had blood soaking his shirt and was pale in the candlelight. "I'm guessing the mission was a failure then."

"Yes," He hung his head and tried not to show his disappointment in himself, "The girl…she was skilled with blade throwing. She took me down before I could do anything. I know it was risky to go as a group but some help may have changed things."

"And who are you?" the third man asked them quite rudely.

"I'm the Avatar, Aang," Aang said quietly. "Katara here saved your man after he was attacked and that is her brother Sokka. I'm guessing whoever you were attacking thought him to be dead and left him there. He had a close call."

"I'm Commander Lee," the guy who they rescued said. Then he mumbled something that sounded like a thank you. All three of them knew earthbenders tended to be very proud so they didn't feel too offended by his lack of thanks. "The other two are Jai and Ti."

Jai was the one that hadn't given them such a warm welcome. "So are you all that's left of the citizens?" Sokka asked hesitantly.

Lee nodded and clutched his stomach where one of the daggers got him, "King Bumi…when the invasion started…he just surrendered. But we defied him. We fought while they captured him. They were too much for us. The other citizens ran for it but as soldiers, we all stayed to fight and hold our city."

When Lee stopped, Ti jumped in to finish what must have been a hard story to tell, "We made sure the citizens could get out, though not that many made it. I assume they are going to Ba Sing Se. It's the only stronghold left. And soon enough, we'll have to leave too. Three old soldiers aren't going to change anything here."

Jai was silently staring at the ground with his teeth clenched. He obviously didn't like what was being said.

"We need to find Bumi and we need all the help we can get," Aang began, "We could help you take down the governor and with us and Bumi, we could regain the city. It would be a win-win for us." Katara gave Aang's hand a slight squeeze and Sokka waited impatiently for the soldiers to answer.

Unfortunately, it was Jai who answered first, "Look here kid, I don't care if you are the Avatar. I'm not helping you kept that crazy old man back. He deserves to rot wherever they've got him. You're just wasting your time saving somebody who doesn't want to be saved. And I am sure as hell not helping you on that suicide mission. I'd rather live to fight again."

"This is your city and you're just going to give it up?" Sokka asked in disbelief, "I fought for the North Pole and it wasn't even my home but I protected it along with everyone else there and so did Aang. This isn't about what you want anyway. This is about what is right. We can't let the Fire Nation win! We all have the same enemy here!"

"Yeah but I ain't ready to fight and die along some dumb ass kids who don't know when to stop!" Jai nearly yelled. He realized how loud he had gotten and dropped his voice down deathly low, "I don't care what you two do but I want out of here even if it means going to the capital by myself."

Ti shook his head and sighed, "I agree with Jai. We don't have any resources to aid us and after what just happened to Lee, I don't think attacking is a wise decision. Bumi made his choice and he was a great leader. Unlike Jai, I can respect that. And I think it's time to leave so we can rejoin what is left of our people. You three would be wise to leave also. Things will only get worse."

"But Bumi is my friend I can't just leave him here!" Aang cried, "This isn't right! We need to fight and take this place back!"

"Kid," Lee stepped up and put a hand on his shoulder, "I heard some guards the other day talking about Bumi. He's in high security and trapped in metal. Even if you managed to find him, what good would a man stuck in a metal box be? He's a wise man once you get past his madness. He probably has some plan…though it would have been nice to warn us…"

Katara and Sokka comforted Aang as he hung his head, "I would still need an earthbending teacher. And I had planned it to be Bumi. He's the best earthbender after all…"

Jai's head popped up at this, "Oh no, we are not getting saddled down and taking you three with us. We have enough trouble as it is without escorting the Avatar."

Lee sighed and regretfully agreed, "It's far too dangerous to bring you along or teach you. We're just old men, Avatar. We've had enough excitement to last a few lifetimes."

"I guess I understand," Aang turned away from the men and looked around the dark room to get his mind off things. This was a complete disaster. How could things get this bad? He wanted to find Appa and just fly away with his friends. Just find some place secluded and isolated from the real world. That was exactly what he needed. Not this war. He didn't ask for this! And now he's down an earthbending teacher and three capable ones were standing on a pedestal right in front of him!

"Actually," Ti spoke up again, "I know where you could find some good benders…but they may not all be good sort. But it would be a place to start." Katara and Sokka nodded for Aang who still wouldn't face them, "They have underground earthbending tournaments all over the kingdom. They would probably even travel with you just to have a chance to fight or get their name famous."

"Thank you for the advice, we'll have to give that a try if we ever stumble across one," Sokka told Ti. "I guess we'll leave now…do you want help out of the city? We found a way through the sewer system. It doesn't smell great but it works."

All three of them shook their heads but it was Lee who spoke, "We have some things to take care of. We want to make sure no other citizens got left behind and maybe try to…recover some valuables for travel money. Maybe we'll even destroy some buildings along the way to screw with the Fire Lovers."

Sokka smiled and stretched out his hand and shook hands with all three, "Wish I could be there to help. I've given some of them a run for their money already." Sokka stuck out his chest with pride and smiled. Katara rolled her eyes and smacked him across the back of the head.

Aang bowed to the three soldiers but was mentally cursing them for their lack of courage and loyalty. "I hope you have a safe trip to Ba Sing Se and you find your people. We could use all the support against the Fire Nation right now."

Lee nodded, "And the same to you, wherever you are going. Thanks for…you know healing me back there. Reckon I was in a tight spot," He said to Katara who only nodded in response.

And with that, Katara, Aang and Sokka were on their way back into the sewers. They could see the sun coming up in the horizon but only enough to make the black sky turn a deep shade of purple. "We better hurry," Aang said and pushed everyone down the sewers.

…

Azula sat in a seat exalted above all the rest in preparation for the show about to start. Her chat with the Ringmaster had gone rather well. Of course he was very open minded with her being the Princess and all. She easily persuaded him into making the show less…practiced and intriguing.

The circus tent was nothing amazing to Azula. It was a red tent with a line running from two poles and bleachers stretching across the inside though not a fair portion of them were occupied. Azula couldn't believe Ty Lee gave up a noble life to lead one in this disgusting and filthy place. Why, she was doing her a favor by bringing her along on this trip! She was saving her from a life that looked only to promise poverty and over work. Who could possibly enjoy strenuous manual labor and the stench of the animals?

Azula had a great plan for tonight's performance to make Ty Lee to see the truth about how horrible this place was. If all went well, Ty Lee would leave unharmed with Azula. And the longer it took Ty Lee to come to her senses, the more chances of her having an…accident. But Azula could live with those conditions. It wasn't as if she was going to die or anything drastic like that.

But Ty Lee had different plans. She knew Azula wasn't about to admit defeat that easily. So what was Ty Lee going to do about it? Well, she hadn't exactly thought that far ahead yet…but she was packing. And she was going to leave. Her first thought was to go to Omashu with Mai but Azula was going there now and that would be a death sentence. But going to perform the show would also mean sure death if Azula was pulling the strings.

Ty Lee threw her back over her shoulder and peeked out the tent to make sure nobody saw her sneaking out. Ty Lee had no idea what would happen if she was caught. She could always run for it since she was already running away. That couldn't make things worse, right?

She crept out of her tent and slid gracefully into the shadows using her flexibility and grace to her advantage. If she could stay hidden she might actually have a chance. Hell, she was actually making it now! She successfully stayed hidden in the shadows and managed to avoid the crowd coming in.

Ty Lee was letting out a sigh of relief until: "My dear Ty Lee, I was worried you had gotten lost on your way to the performance." It was Azula. Ty Lee cringed and her breath caught in her throat. This was a disaster. She was surely dead now.

"I was actually coming to find you," Ty Lee lied, trying to save herself from the inevitable, "I didn't realize you were already waiting in the tent for me, Azula." Ty Lee was lying through her teeth and knowing Azula, she could probably smell the fear rolling off her in waves. But she seemed to buy it.

"Oh, and what was the reason behind it, Ty Lee?" Azula's amber eyes were searching Ty Lee before she added sweetly, "I would love to assist in whatever you are in need of, especially now that I see you are packed." Ty Lee froze. What was she going to say now? She felt a cold shiver go up her spine. This was a complete backfire and now she only had one choice or it was death for her. Treason is what Azula would call her 'crime'.

"I was just coming to tell you that there is no need for a performance since I have changed my mind," Azula's eyebrows rose in disbelief, "I would love to accompany you if you will still have me."

Azula couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Of course she always got what she wanted.

…

Aang pulled Katara out of the pot hole followed by Sokka and together they made their way out of the enemy city. The sun was beginning to rise but it only turned the sky a lighter shade of purple. They had plenty of time to make it to Appa and fly away without being seen. Thank the spirits for _one_ thing going right today.

The group slowly made their way to Appa, their feet dragging from exhaustion and eyes drooping from lack of sleep. Aang was the most exhausted of the three. Guilt and shame weighed him down more the need for sleep and rest. "I can't believe I just left him there."

Katara sighed and wrapped a comforting arm around Aang as they continued walking. "We have to play this wisely, Aang," She began softly, stifling a yawn, "Sometimes sacrifice is needed even when it hurts. Bumi is a grown man…and then some. I'm sure he's already worked up a plan and is just waiting to make it happen."

"Yeah, I agree with Katara," Sokka interjected, "I knew the guy for five seconds and even I can tell he's the kind of person to have some crazy plan. It'll be alright Aang. We have a lot to focus on anyway."

Aang seemed to ponder their words and settled on his own, "All I know is I left my friend with the enemy, I'm down a teacher and I need to sleep this off." Sokka and Katara watched Aang speed up and close the distance between them and Appa and airbend himself up. When they were all on, the only words that would be spoken for a while were 'yip yip.'

…

As the trio was flying away from the converted city, Azula and Ty Lee were just making their way in to recruit their other friend, Mai. None of them knew what kind of conflict they just narrowly missed. But this of course would only work to Azula's advantage. The element of surprise was still on her side.

Aang and his group weren't the only ones moving on with their lives and making hard decisions. Zuko sat outside with Song as the sun rose. "I have to leave. It's dangerous for me to stay in one place for too long." Zuko unknowingly rubbed his scarred eye as he spoke.

Song couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye for fear of losing her composure, "I knew you wouldn't have long but you've been here for so little time…I feel like you just got here."

"I did just get here," Zuko sighed, "But I can't put you and your mother in danger by staying here. I am a wanted man and so is my uncle. My father probably already has a team out looking for us." Song was about to interrupt with claims of not being afraid but Zuko stopped her. "They're looking for blood and a teenage girl and her mother won't stop them. They have no conviction over killing innocent people."

"I can come with you," Song said sadly. She already knew what Zuko would say.

Zuko hung his head in defeat and sighed, "I wish. But I can't put you in that kind of danger." He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "But I can promise you this: If I make it through okay, I'll come back and find you. I'm going to buy a hawk or find a post and send you a letter every chance I get. I'll write to you as Lee. And I won't ever mention your name so if the letter is intercepted they won't know it's you. I'll do whatever I can to stay in touch. I promise."

Song smiled as a tear fell down her face. She had only known Zuko a very short time but it was enough for her. Neither of them knew that things would get this serious this fast. But how could they complain? This was almost a blessing in a world that provided none. "I'd like that."

Zuko and Song both stood up and she handed him his bag of supplies. His uncle was waiting for him with the ostrich horse and they had to get going before sunrise to make good travel time. "Whatever you do, don't follow us. We plan to go to Ba Sing Se but we'll get sidetracked fast if we run into…friends."

"I got that the first hundred times you told me," Song smiled and pulled him into a hug, "You have to be safe. Promise me."

Zuko didn't promise. He only kissed her lightly on the lips, their first kiss. The only thing he could promise was to try and even that was not a given. Things changed. People moved on. Lives ended. It was just life.

And little did either of them know that life for Zuko was just beginning to become complicated. Maybe he knew that subconsciously as he turned around to watch her shrinking figure in the dark. Either way, he had something to fight for.

**Now that this chapter is out the way, I can start working on my next one and start fresh. As you can see, big changes are happening. Good or bad? Even I don't know yet. You can comment with your opinions…they are very needed right now. Thanks for still reading!**


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